Flourless Rocky Road Cookies

I love cookies. I mean, I really love cookies. Whether it's a basic shortbread cookie or an oatmeal raisin, they all hold a special place in my stomach. I never knew, however, how much I could love a flourless chocolate cookie until now. Admittedly, I had my doubts about flourless cookies. But being wrong never tasted so right! These rocky road cookies are rich, gooey and decadent like a chocolate fudge brownie, while only requiring a fraction of the baking time! And, if gluten-free is your thing, you're in luck. This recipe is one of the easiest I've ever created and they don't lack an ounce of flavor with the help of our friends, chocolate chips, walnuts and marshmallow. Plot and construct your own rocky road by swapping out the walnuts for your favorite nut, or use mini marshmallows! I personally love the "fried egg" look with the bigger marshmallows. If it were up to my husband, graham crackers would have been included and some smoking techniques to make these full-fledged "s'mores" cookies. But you have to draw the line somewhere, right? Make sure you use a good quality cocoa powder and don't forget the espresso powder. Remember, chocolate baked goods always taste better with a hint of espresso!

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon espresso powder
3 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
8-10 large marshmallows, halved

DIRECTIONS

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

2. Whisk or sift together the confectioners' sugar, cocoa, salt and espresso powder. Mix in the egg whites and vanilla until smooth and no lumps remain. Lastly, stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts. The cookie dough will be soft and gooey.

3. Use a tablespoon or cookie scoop to drop round balls of dough on the baking sheets. Leave about 2" in between each cookie. Place one half of the marshmallow on top and press firmly into the dough.

4. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until the marshmallows are nice and toasty on top. The cookies will look slightly shiny and cracked. Cool completely before eating.

Get the Recipe Card HERE.

Breakfast Kebabs

There's no denying that breakfast is the greatest meal of the day. Of course you could try, but what's more special than the ritual of weekend pancakes and french toast? Taking the extra couple minutes to serve pancakes or french toast is thoughtful and tasty, but lately I've been a little bored with the pancakes I love so much. I started asking myself, how can I make breakfast more creative? Breakfast Kebabs! They are fun to eat and perfect for entertaining. Plus, it allowed me to make miniature banana pancakes and french toast bites, which I obviously loved! Whether you're entertaining friends for brunch or seeking a creative Sunday breakfast for your family, make these simple breakfast kebabs and you just may never go back to cereal again. 

Silver Dollar Banana Pancakes 

INGREDIENTS 

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 bananas, thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS 

1. Combine all the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and whisk until all the lumps are gone.

2. Lightly butter a nonstick frying pan and place over medium-high heat. Use a teaspoon to spoon batter onto frying pan and quickly top with a banana slice. Flip after about 20 seconds, or when several bubbles have formed in the batter. Cook on the other side for another 30 seconds, then set pancakes aside until assembly.

French Toast 
INGREDIENTS 
1 loaf dense/rustic bread (I used pullman, but you can use cinnamon-raisin or whole wheat)
4 eggs
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
powdered sugar for dusting

DIRECTIONS 
1. Cut bread into 1-inch cubes. In a bowl, beat eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Add bread cubes and mix to saturate.

2. Lightly butter a nonstick frying pan and place over medium-high heat. Remove bread cubes from egg mixture, shaking off excess liquid. Cook until all sides of the bread are golden brown, about 5 minutes.

3. Sprinkle the French toast cubes with powdered sugar and set aside until assembly.

Assemble Kebabs 
INGREDIENTS 
skewers
fresh blueberries
fresh raspberries
fresh strawberries
powdered sugar
maple syrup

DIRECTIONS
1. Wash fruit and half strawberries. Thread fruit onto skewers alternating with french toast cubes and pancakes. Dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately with maple syrup.



If you're breakfast needs to feed a crowd, swap the skewers for toothpick and make these breakfast bites. The ingredients may be simple, but they certainly look fancy. And if you want to upgrade the syrup, try dipping them in melted chocolate or honey sweetened greek yogurt.

Get the Recipe Card Here

Italian Inspired Chocolate-Red Wine Cupcakes

When it comes to wine, it’s pretty hard to compete with Italian reds. Almost four years ago, my husband and I spent our honeymoon drinking our way through Italy, making stops in Tuscany, Rome and the Amalfi Coast. Oh, what I wouldn’t give for a glass of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo right about now! All this reminiscing over the breathtaking views of Tuscan hills and vineyards is making me hungry, but don’t worry, I’ve got you covered! The April FOOD & WINE issue is devoted to all things Italian, so when they asked me to create an Italian inspired dessert, I knew immediately that red wine had to be involved! Luckily, FOOD & WINE has the most delicious recipe for a chocolate-red wine cake. The chocolate flavor is rich, but there’s enough red wine to make this cake more decadent than any chocolate cake you’ve ever had. The recipe suggests serving with fresh whipped cream so I decided to turn the cake into cupcakes and top with a dollop of whipped cream (easy and delicious!)

Since I can’t seem to bake anything without busting out the food coloring and fondant, I took some inspiration from the art of Florentine marbled papers and created edible versions to garnish the top of the cupcakes. If you find yourself in Florence, it’s hard to walk by any gift shop without spotting this beautifully intricate marbled paper. It’s as Florentine as a good cone of gelato. Dating back to the 17th century, the process of making the paper is truly an art form and I wouldn’t begin to use those techniques in making my edible versions. (This would be a very long how-to!) Instead, I used gel food coloring and toothpicks to mimic the marble patterns on fondant. The traditionalists of Florence may not approve, but I’m sure they would enjoy the cupcake. Plus, this is the perfect way for me to remember just a couple of the reasons I love Italy so much. Mangiamo!

Chocolate-Red Wine Cupcakes

Recipe adapted from FOOD & WINE

DIRECTIONS

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups dry red wine

2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 Tbsp. Confectioner's sugar

INGREDIENTS

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a muffin tin with liners or parchment cups. In a bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.

2. In a large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugar at medium-high speed until fluffy, 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until incorporated. Add the vanilla and beat for 2 minutes longer. Working in two batches, alternately fold in the dry ingredients and the wine, until just incorporated.

3. Scrape the batter into the cups, and bake for about 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool completely.

4. In a clean, chilled bowl, beat 2 cups of cold heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form then mix in the confectioner's sugar. Use a pastry bag or spoon to top the cupcakes with the whipped cream. 

Make sure you use a high-quality unsweetened cocoa powder. Opting for the good stuff makes all the difference in a chocolate cake like this one.

Make your own cupcake liners by cutting squares of parchment and forming them into the muffin tin cups. It’s a great solution if you’re all out of liners and they look pretty fancy, too.

Lightly drop the muffin tin a few times on your counter top to make sure no bubbles are lurking in your batter. 

Now, onto the marbled garnish. You’ll need gel food coloring and fondant (which you can find at any craft or specialty baking store), clean paintbrushes, toothpicks, a light dusting of powdered sugar (so the fondant doesn’t stick) and a rolling pin. I also love edible gold dust but it’s not a must.

I used a 1.5” circle cutter to cut the fondant, but you could make your marble garnish any shape you like.

Although there’s no right or wrong way to apply the color, I found it works best when you lay the food coloring on pretty thick. The more coloring, the easier it is to swirl ‘em together. 

Then, draw lines with your toothpick to “pull” the food coloring. Keep it simple in the beginning, starting with just 2 colors until you find a method that works for you. Remember, there’s no right or wrong way so have fun with it. Let your edible marble garnishes dry overnight before placing them on the cupcake.

Easter Egg Macarons

It might not feel like spring just yet, but the Easter bunny comes to town next Sunday! Finding the perfect Easter treat is always difficult. Whether it's a giant chocolate bunny, a marshmallow peep or even jelly beans, most Easter candies leave-even me-with a tooth ache. I must admit, I actually love the first bite of a sugar filled Cadbury Creme Egg on Easter morning. And it is my family tradition to make a bunny cake with two 9-inch cake rounds. 

<<<< Here's a throwback photo of me and my mom giving an unsatisfactory glare to a bunny cake. "It's ok, the cake will still taste great, right?" This year, however, I wanted to create an Easter treat that was festive, yet slightly more refined than chomping off a chocolate bunny ear. Enter the french macaron. Yes, they are tricky and test even seasoned pastry buffs. Although, nothing beats that sense of pride when you first bite into a macaron you've created yourself! Piping the meringue into egg shapes and decorating the macarons give the perfect Easter Egg effect without the stink. These macarons are perfectly crunchy on the outside, while chewy and tart on the inside. Whether you make these macarons or opt for the family sized bag of jelly beans, have a very Happy Easter! 

When making the meringue for the macarons, don’t toss the yolks! Save them to make a lemon curd filling (recipe follows).

Fold in the meringue to the almond flour mixture carefully. If you overmix, the macarons will deflate.

Letting the meringues dry before baking is a crucial step! You’ll know they are ready to bake when they lose their sheen.

Macarons
Recipe adapted from FOOD & WINE

INGREDIENTS

1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup almond flour (see Note)
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 or 3 drops red, blue and yellow food coloring, plus more for decorating
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
1/2 cup blueberry or seedless blackberry jam
1/2 cup lemon curd, recipe follows

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 400° and position racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a large, wide bowl, using a large rubber spatula or a handheld electric mixer, sift the confectioners' sugar and the almond flour, then mix with 1 of the egg whites until evenly moistened. (Try not to skip the sifting step, it really helps the texture!)

3. In a small saucepan, combine the granulated sugar with the water and bring to a boil; using a moistened pastry brush, wash down any crystals on the side of the pan. Cook over high heat until the syrup reaches 240° on a candy thermometer.

4. In another large bowl, using clean, dry beaters, beat the remaining 2 egg whites at medium-high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer at high speed, carefully drizzle the hot sugar syrup over the whites and beat until firm and glossy. If you have it, mix in a pinch of cream of tartar for stability and added volume. (They're firm enough when you can hold the bowl upside down over your head and those whites won't budge.)

5. Stir one-fourth of the meringue into the almond mixture. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the remaining meringue. Separate the mix equally into three small bowls and tint with food coloring. Transfer the meringue to pastry bags fitted with a plain 1/2-inch tip; pipe onto the prepared baking sheets in 1 1/2-inch egg shaped mounds, 1 inch apart. Tap the sheets and let dry for 15 minutes.

6. Transfer the meringues to the oven and immediately turn off the heat. Bake the meringues for 5 minutes. Turn the oven on to 400° again and bake the meringues for 8 minutes, until they are puffed and the tops are firm and glossy. Transfer the baking sheets to racks and let cool completely. Peel the meringues off of the parchment paper. Decorate the meringue shells with food coloring and small tipped paint brushes. 

7. Spoon the jams and curd into separate small pastry bags fitted with 1/4-inch tips. Alternatively, use resealable sturdy plastic bags and snip off the corners. Pipe the filling onto the flat sides of half of the meringues. Top with the remaining meringues and serve.

NOTE: Almond flour (finely ground blanched almonds) is available at supermarkets.

I jump at any chance to use edible gold dust in decorating. A touch of vodka will help liquefy it, then the vodka evaporates leaving only your gilded design. Use a clean paintbrush or toothbrush to get a splatter effect.

Paint your designs on the macaron shells before sandwiching them together with filling.

While the lemon curd recipe is super-easy, seedless berry jams also work beautifully.

Incredibly Rich Lemon Curd
Recipe from FOOD & WINE
INGREDIENTS
2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, strained
1/2 cup sugar
3 large egg yolks

DIRECTIONS
1. In a medium bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the butter with the lemon juice and sugar, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved. Whisk in the egg yolks, 1 at a time, and cook over moderately high heat, whisking constantly, until the curd is very hot to the touch and the consistency of loose sour cream, about 15 minutes. Strain the curd into a bowl and press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate before serving.