Chocolate Frosting

Since I first made this frosting last week (to fill my Halloween Cake), I have been looking for an excuse to make it again because it is so delicious! The first time I made it I used soy milk (to keep it vegan), while this time I used regular milk (1%), and the frosting came out amazing both times.


This frosting is fairly thick, so if you wish to make it thinner you can add more milk/soy milk about a teaspoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached.


I found this recipe in my Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World cookbook, and I doubled it to have enough icing for two dozen cupcakes.  I made the regular recipe last week and it was easily enough to fill my Halloween Cake (which was 3 layers).  This recipe is enough to frost 12 cupcakes, or to fill a regular cake. If you wish to make it vegan, make sure your margarine is free from milk products, and that you use soy milk instead of regular milk.


Chocolate Frosting

• 1/4 cup margarine or butter
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 2 1/2 cups icing sugar
• 3 tbsp milk
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1. Cream together the margarine (or butter) and shortening 
2. Add the cocoa and mix very well
3. Add the icing sugar about 1 cup at a time, followed by a tbsp of milk (or soy milk) after each cup of icing sugar
4. After all of the icing sugar and milk/soy milk is added, pour in the vanilla and continue beating until nice and fluffy
5. Frost your favourite cupcakes or cake! 

Vanilla Cupcakes w/ Chocolate Frosting

In my hunt for the best vanilla cupcake, I came across this recipe on tastykitchen.com a couple days ago.  The name right away caught my eye - Moist Vanilla Cupcakes.  They seemed perfect since my biggest issue is that so many cupcake recipes seem to be on the dry side.  I have tried so many vanilla recipes, including vanilla buttermilk cupcakes and even a boxed vanilla cake mix, and all have just seemed so...dry. 


I can honestly say that these are the best vanilla cupcakes that I have made so far!

They were really simple to make, and the suggestion of wrapping them in cling/saran wrap after they came out of the muffin pan was pure genius! These retained the moisture and have a fantastic cakey texture.


The original blog post is here on Lick My Spoon, and I made 27 cupcakes with it.  Since they turned out so well, I am itching to try her red velvet cupcake recipe, I have also been searching for a great red velvet recipe for the last few months!

For the frosting, I used the chocolate frosting from my vegan cupcake book, but these cupcakes would be amazing with absolutely any frosting you choose! I will be posting the chocolate frosting tomorrow :)


Vanilla Cupcakes

• 3 cups flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 sticks butter or margarine (1 cup)
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup milk (I used 1%)
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F and line your muffin pans with cupcake liners
2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt
3. In a separate bowl, cream the butter
4. Beat the sugar into the creamed butter until very light and fluffy (this took me about 5 minutes with my stand mixer)
5. Add the eggs slowly, making sure that each is completely mixed into the sugar mixture before adding the next egg
6. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture, and mix well
7. Pour in 1/2 cup of milk, and again mix well
8. Repeat until all of the flour and milk has been added
9. When all wet and dry ingredients are mixed together, add the vanilla and only mix until it is just incorporated into the batter
10. Fill the cupcake liners, and bake for 18 - 23 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of a cupcake
11. Let cool for 10 minutes, then remove cupcakes and place on a rack
12. Cover the cupcakes with cling/saran wrap until cool
13. When cooled to room temperature, remove the wrap and ice with your favourite icing
14. Enjoy!

All ready to go to work with my fiance!

Mini Jumbo Pretzels

OK, I realize that the title leads to a bit of confusion, so let me explain myself. The original recipe was for jumbo soft pretzels, you know those huge ones you get at hockey or baseball games with the large salt crystals on them? Well, those seemed like too much of a commitment for a snack (for me at least), so I made them half the original intended size, hence the 'mini'!  This worked out awesome; I was able to get 16 pretzels out of the batch, and their size is perfect for a hardcore carb craving!


I found this recipe on joythebaker.com where there is also an awesome 'how-to' video for making these.  

The recipe was really easy to follow, and the outcome is amazing! The recipe originally makes 8 large soft pretzels, but I prefer the size of the pretzels when it is used to make 16. It is totally a personal preference though!

You can easily customize these based on what you have in your cupboard, or based on what you are craving that day.  


I sprinkled some of my pretzels with sesame seeds:

Some with coarse salt:

And the last few I topped with brown sugar and cinnamon, so that they were more of a sweet snack!

OK, I realize this isn't necessarily the most attractive pretzel, but it sure was tasty!

All three versions turned out delicious!  These pretzels have the perfect soft and chewy texture, I am not even going to tell you how many I ate the first day.


Mini Jumbo Pretzels

• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 cups warm water (I used hot water from the tap)
• 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast (or one package)
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp baking soda
• 1 egg
• sesame seeds, salt, seasoning salt, etc for toppings

1. Mix together the warm water and sugar, then sprinkle the yeast on top
2. Let this sit for about 5 minutes to let the yeast start to foam.  If the yeast has produced no foam, then discard and start again
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt
4. Carefully add the water/yeast mixture to the dry ingredients, and mix until a dough forms (I had to use my hands for most of the mixing)
5. Knead dough on a floured surface for 5 - 10 minutes (or until very elastic)
6. Place the ball of dough into the bowl, cover, and let rise for about 45 minutes (or until the dough has doubled in size).  My kitchen was quite warm and it only took 35 minutes.
7. While the dough is rising, cover two cookie sheets with parchment paper, and then spray the parchment paper with cooking spray
8. After the dough has risen, cut the dough into 16 equal pieces, and set aside
9. Take the first piece of dough, and roll it into a rope about 12 - 15 inches long (If you are making the regular jumbo pretzels, cut the dough into 8 pieces and roll each into a rope that is approximately 24 inches long)
10. Twist the dough rope into a pretzel, and place onto a prepared baking sheet
11. Repeat with the remaining 15 (or 7) pieces of dough
12. Once all pretzels are formed, let them stand for about 20 minutes
13. While the pretzels are setting, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, and preheat your oven to 425 F
14. When the pretzels are ready to be boiled, sprinkle about 1 tbsp of baking soda into the water
15. Drop 4 - 5 pretzels into the water at a time, and let them boil for 45 seconds to a minute. Flip each pretzel, and let the other side boil for 45 seconds to a minute as well (If you are making the regular jumbo pretzels, boil for about 1.5 minutes/side)
16. Remove the pretzels from the pot, and place back onto the baking sheet
17. Repeat until all pretzels have been boiled
18. Whisk the egg in a small bowl, and then lightly brush each pretzel with a bit of the egg wash
19. Sprinkle the toppings of your choice onto each pretzel, then bake until golden brown
20. My 'mini jumbo' pretzels took about 20 minutes to bake, and the original recipe states that the regular sized pretzels will take about 35 minutes to bake
21. Enjoy!

Honey-Soy Broiled Salmon & a Cucumber Salad

Today is a special day, two recipes in one post! It is almost like getting something on sale, and who doesn't love a great sale?


The salmon is quick and easy, and the same goes for the cucumber salad.  Both of these recipes are from the eatingwell.com website, and I will definitely make both of them again!

The salmon marinade is perfect for 4 pieces of salmon, and the cucumber salad can be prepared while the salmon marinates and cooks! This is a great (and healthy) weeknight supper.


Honey-Soy Broiled Salmon

• 1 green onion, diced
• 2 tbsp soy sauce (low sodium)
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
• 1 lb of salmon, cut into 4 pieces
• 1 tsp sesame seeds, toasted

1. Mix together the green onion, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, and ginger
2. If the salmon has skin on it, remove the skin and discard
3. Place the four pieces of salmon in a bag, and add about 3 tbsp of the marinade
4. Place the salmon in the refrigerator to marinate, and put the rest of the sauce aside for now
5. While the salmon marinates, pre-heat the broiler and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil, and spray the paper/foil with baking spray
6. After the salmon has marinated for about 15 minutes, place it on the prepared baking sheet (and discard the marinade that was in the bag with the salmon)
7. Broil the salmon for about 8 - 12 minutes, or until cooked through
8. While the salmon is broiling, prepare the cucumber salad (below) and toast the sesame seeds (you will also need to toast 2 tbsp of sesame seeds for the cucumber salad, so you might as well toast them all at once :D)
1. Note: to toast the sesame seeds, place them in a dry frying pan that has been heated on medium on the stove top. Shake the sesame seeds around for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown
9. When the salmon is done, spoon some of the remaining marinade on top of the salmon, and sprinkle on some sesame seeds

Cucumber Salad

• 1 large seedless cucumber, or two medium seedless cucumbers
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds (see above recipe for how to toast the sesame seeds)

1. Peel the cucumbers in sections, to leave stripes down the length
2. Slice the cucumbers into very thin slices, and place the slices on paper towels to remove the excess moisture
3. Mix together the rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and toasted sesame seeds in a medium bowl
4. Add the cucumber slices, mix together, and serve immediately with the salmon
5. Enjoy!

Brownie Cookies

Have you ever had an intense craving for some seriously sweet chocolate? I did this past week, and in my search found this recipe on thechurchcook.blogspot.com. As soon as I saw it, I knew it was exactly what I was looking for!


These cookies have the soft and chewy texture of a brownie, but in a convenient cookie form.


They are quite easy to make, and after the first bite you will be absolutely blown away! Consider yourself warned.


I made about 3 dozen, but I think mine were a little large (not that I am complaining!).  The original post can be found here.


Make these now!


Brownie Cookies

• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine (unsalted)
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl then set aside
2. In a double boiler (I use a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water), melt the 2 cups of chocolate chips with the butter
3. After they are completely melted, remove the bowl from the pot of water, and set aside for a few minutes to set
4. Beat together the eggs and vanilla until bubbly
5. Add the sugar to the egg/vanilla mixture, and mix thoroughly
6. Pour the chocolate mixture into the egg/vanilla/sugar mixture, and again mix thoroughly
7. Add the flour mixture, and mix until the batter is just coming together
8. Fold in the remaining 1 cup of chocolate chips
9. Set the bowl of cookie dough in the fridge for 30 - 45 minutes to allow it to chill 
10. While the dough is chilling in the fridge, preheat the oven to 350 F and line your baking sheets with parchment paper
11. Roll the dough into small balls (about 1 to 1 1/2 tsps each) and place on the parchment paper (Note: the cookies will spread and flatten out, so leave about 2 inches between each cookie dough all)
12. Bake for 8 - 12 minutes, or until the edges just start to firm up and the tops begin to crack
13. Let cool, and enjoy with an ice cold glass of milk!