Oatmeal Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

October 30th, 2015 | Posted by Milana in Dessert | Recipes - (2 Comments)

   
 
Good Morning and Happy Friday! Last night I had 3 over ripened organic bananas on the counter and decided to make a chocolate chip cookie that tasted like banana bread. However, I know most chocolate chip cookies require obscene amount of butter or oil. I experimented by adding more banana and omitting the fat altogether. The Result? Delicious, soft, chewy, gooey cookies! I’m absolutely in love with this recipe and cannot believe they came out so good without all the fat added! 

INGREDIENTS:

2-1/2 organic mashed bananas

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

2 Tbsp granulated sugar

2 tsp organic vanilla extract

1 large egg

1-1/2 cup organic oats (make sure it’s not the instant or quick cook because it will act like flour and will not be suitable for this recipe)

1-1/4 cup white whole wheat flour (you may use regular whole wheat flour if you like. The cookies will be more dense and coarse in texture)

1/2-1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking soda

1-1/4 cup dark chocolate chunks or semi sweet chocolate chips (I used a little bit of both)

1/4 tsp of sea salt 

DIRECTIONS:

1. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and electric mixer) combine the bananas,sugars, vanilla, egg and beat on medium-high speed until well combined, about 2 minutes. The mixture won’t be smooth, fluffy, or ‘creamed’ like traditional cookie dough and will have small chunks of bananas present and it’s on the runnier side.

2. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the oats, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute.

3. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the chocolate chips, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds. Chill for at least 2 hours in the fridge covered with plastic wrap it up to 5 days.  This is a wetter, looser dough and isn’t suitable for baking until it’s been chilled. Do not bake with unchilled dough because cookies will bake thinner, flatter, and be more prone to spreading.

4. Using a large cookie scoop, 1/4-cup measure, or your hands, form approximately 14 equal-sized mounds of dough. Tip – Strategically place a few chocolate chips on top of each mound of dough by taking chips from the underside and adding them on top.

5. Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper. Place  cookies on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart and bake for about 10 minutes for very soft cookies, longer for more well-done cookies, or until edges have set and tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center; don’t overbake. Cookies firm up as they cool. Baking times could range widely due to the moisture content variances in bananas, climate and oven variances; bake until your cookies are done. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before serving. Happy Baking!

***Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired. 

Recipe was adapted from Averie Cooks. 


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Vegan Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars

September 30th, 2015 | Posted by Milana in Dessert | Recipes - (0 Comments)

 

Vegan Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars

 
Hi everyone! Hope your week is going well despite the depressing weather here in NY. I guess the fall season is always rather gloomy especially with Halloween coming up exactly a month from today. Pumpkin season has officially begun and I better get started with my pumpkin treats. Speaking of treats I originally stumbled upon this amazingly easy recipe from Sally’s Bake Blog. I tweaked it a bit and made it my own and they’re a huge hit! This recipe is vegan but it’s very versatile and you’re free to add anything that you like to it in terms of toppings such as dried fruit, different chocolate pieces or candy, nuts/seeds of all kinds and more. I really love this recipe since it is oh-so-effortless but looks like you spent hours making them. Hopefully you will appreciate them as much as I do. They’re packed with protein, antioxidants, and fiber! Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup Organic All Natural Peanut Butter (make sure the ingredients are just peanuts and salt)

1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar (you can use any brown sugar. I just prefer the rich molasses flavor)

2 tsp Organic Vanilla Extract

1 Cup Organic Old Fashioned Rolled Oats

1 Cup White Whole Wheat Flour or any flour that you like

1 tsp Baking Soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 Cup Organic Almond Milk (unsweetened) but you can use any milk that you like

1/2 Cup Sliced Organic Almonds

1/2 Cup Vegan Chocolate Chips or any kind will work too

1/2 cup of any additional toppings that you like

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 350F degrees. Line a 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper or spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.

With an electric or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the brown sugar and peanut butter on medium speed until light in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the vanilla, scraping down the sides as needed.
On medium speed, add in the flour, oats, salt, and baking soda. The dough will be very thick and clumpy, but it will come together. Slowly add the milk in a steady stream, mixing until a dough forms. Fold in chocolate chips , alomonds and any other fixings you want.  Use your hands to make sure everything is combined, if needed.
Once dough is completely combined, press it lightly into the prepared baking dish. Bake for about 17-20 minutes until the bars are lightly golden and set. Allow to cool completely and cut into squares. I keep mine in the refrigerator in a covered container. Bars will be good stored up to 2 weeks. And in the freezer for about 2 months. 

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Apple Blueberry Pie

September 15th, 2015 | Posted by Milana in Dessert | Recipes - (0 Comments)

  
Apple Blueberry Pie Recipe 

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Sweet ‘n’ Sour Cherry Pie

September 15th, 2015 | Posted by Milana in Dessert | Recipes - (0 Comments)

  Dessert for 5776! Requested by family🍒🍒🍒🍰🍰🍰…I doubled my Apple Blueberry pie recipe and just used 2 lbs frozen sour pitted cherries, drained all the liquid and mixed it with 2 cans of organic cherry pie filling along with turbinado sugar and arrowroot (all natural plant based thickener). 

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VEGAN DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

July 23rd, 2015 | Posted by Milana in Dessert | Recipes - (0 Comments)

  Vegan Double Chocolate Chip Cookies:
Makes 16 cookies.

INGREDIENTS:
1 can no-salt-added Organic black beans, rinsed well
2 Tbsp. Almond Milk or any milk of your choice
1.5 Tbsp. peanut butter/nut butter of choice
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 Tbsp. whole wheat flour
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup (see note)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of salt
⅓ cup dark chocolate chips, plus more for sprinkling on top

DIRECTIONS :

Preheat oven to 375 and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine black beans, milk, peanut butter, and olive oil in a food processor and process until smooth.
Add in whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon, and continue processing until combined and mousse-like.
Stir in ⅓ c. dark chocolate chips.
Using a small cookie scoop. Drop 16 scoopfuls evenly spaced onto the baking sheet and sprinkle with the extra chocolate chips.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Let cool slightly, then put on a baking rack until they are cooled completely.
ENJOY!!
Store in the refrigerator.

*Note: *The sugar in this recipe can be reduced to about ⅓ c. if you prefer the cookies to be less sweet.

Nutrition Facts: 1 cookie: Calories: 108; Fat: 4.8g; Sodium: 174.2mg; Carbs: 15.1g; Fiber: 2.4g; Sugar: 8.5g; Protein: 2.7g

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Ricotta Mascarpone Cheesecake

May 18th, 2015 | Posted by Milana in Dessert | Recipes - (0 Comments)

This is by far the best cheesecake I have ever baked and tasted! Definitely a keeper! You must try this recipe. A real crowd pleaser!

**All the following ingredients must be at room temperature for a smooth even result. 

INGREDIENTS:

CRUST:

1 box Trader Joe’s Meyer Lemon Thins

3  Tbsp Unsalted Butter Melted

FILLING:

1-15oz container part skim ricotta
1-8oz container Mascarpon Cheese

1-1/2 packages 8oz Neufchatel or 1/3 less fat cream cheese

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 350F. In a food processor, pulse cookies until a crumb texture is reached. Add butter and pulse to evenly incorporate. Press mixture on the bottom of a 9″ springform pan. Bake to set for 8-10 minutes or until golden. Set aside to cool. 

In the meantime, rinse food processor from crumb mixture. Process all cheeses together on high until creamy. Add sugar until completely dissolved and incorporated. Add eggs 1 at a time and vanilla. Pour filling on top of crust smoothing out the top evenly with spatula. Put springform onto baking sheet and bake 60-90 min or until middle of cake sets in. Let cake cool completely before refrigerating overnight. Dust with cocoa powder before serving. Enjoy!

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Angel Food Cake with Homemade Raspberry Coulis

April 1st, 2015 | Posted by Milana in Dessert - (0 Comments)

  

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Lower Fat Chocolate Molten Lava Cake for 2

March 3rd, 2015 | Posted by Milana in Dessert | Recipes - (0 Comments)



Everyone knows that usually lava cakes require eggs and additionally egg yolks that further increase cholesterol and fat contents per serving. Of course everyone wants the luxurious velvety textures without all the artery-clogging effects. Therefore, I have found this recipe that makes scrumptious lava cakes with much lower fat and saturated fat contents. Give this a try and I promise you won’t miss the eggs! Especially when each serving comes out to a staggering 281 calories with 6.1 grams of insoluble fiber compared to 590 of the traditional version with zero grams of fiber but loaded with sugar, much higher cholesterol and overall fat contents. 

INGREDIENTS:

2 Tbsp White Whole Wheat Flour

3 Tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1/4 tsp Baking Powder & Baking Soda

2 Tbsp Semi Sweet Chocolate Chopped (60% cocoa)

2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter or Coconut Oil*

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp Nonfat Plain Greek Yogurt

2 Tbsp Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

2-6oz. Ramekins

*if using coconut oil it will alter the saturated fat per serving since it is a plant based saturated fat. 

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 350F. In the meantime, spray your 6oz. Ramekins with cooking spray. 

Sift your flour,cocoa, baking powder,and baking soda. 

In a double boiler melt chocolate with butter. Add sugar and whisk well until sugar dissolves. Fold in flour mixture. Add yogurt and milk until mixture is nice and smooth. 

Pour mixture evenly into ramekins and bake 6-7 min. The cakes should be firm all around and liquid-like in the center. 

Invert cakes onto plate. Dust with powdered sugar and top with berries or a compote of your choice.  Enjoy! 




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Homemade Sour Cherry Apple Pie

February 20th, 2015 | Posted by Milana in Dessert | Recipes - (0 Comments)

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Hi Everyone! Hope you guys are just as excited for the weekend as I am! I’m having family over for dinner tonight and and I decided to make this pie using my recipe from my ‘Blueberry Apple Pie’ but substituting Sour Cherries and making my own compote filling instead of the canned version. Here’s my version:

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs Frozen or Fresh Sour Cherries
3/4 cups Raw Sugar
3/4 water
1.5 Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
3 Tbsp Corn Starch mixed with 1/4 cup cold water

Bring the cherries, sugar and water to a boil. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Simmer on medium low for 20 min. Add lemon juice until thickens add your cornstarch mixture stir for another min or two and it’s good to go! Mix with 3 granny smith apples sliced into match sticks and fill your store bought pie crust or you can follow my recipe. Type “blueberry Apple pie” in the search field and the recipe will follow. Enjoy!

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Lavender Flower Honey Cupcakes with Orange Vanilla Mascarpone Cream

November 7th, 2014 | Posted by Milana in Dessert - (0 Comments)

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I have always wanted to experiment baking with lavender buds and since purple is my favorite color i decided to finally give it a go!

INGREDIENTS:
1-1/2 Cups White Whole Wheat Flour (I use Trader Joe’s brand)
1 Cup Unbleached All Purpose Flour

1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 Cups Organic Clover Honey
1 Cup Trader Joes Cultured Cashew Beverage or Buttermilk
1/2 Cup Avocado Oil
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce
3 Large Eggs
2 Tbsp Whole Fresh Edible French Lavender Flowers

2 tsp plant based red food color

2 tsp plant based Blue food color

Orange Vanilla Mascarpone Frosting:
8 oz Mascarpone
1/8 Cup Organic Clover Honey
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 tsp Fresh Squeezed Orange
1/2 Tbsp Orange Zest

DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 325F. Line 2 cupcake pans with 23 liners. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl. Cream the honey, buttermilk, applesauce, food coloring and oil until they are immersed together, about 5 min. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add each egg one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition. Turn mixer on low and add the flour mixture 3/4 cup at a time. Slowly add the lavender flowers to create a smooth batter.

Fill the liners 3/4 full with the batter and bake about 30 min. Cool the cupcakes completely before frosting.

For the frosting. Blend the mascarpone, honey and vanilla by hand, until the
cream is smooth and incorporated. Add the juice and zest. Mix for 15 seconds. Put the cream into
a piping bag with a star tip and frost cupcakes.

Serving Size 1 cupcake with frosting.

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