Chocolate Rum Balls

Oh my gosh, we cannot believe that it’s October already, September seemed to pass in an instant!  Guess that getting back into the groove of school and of course coming down with the crud from all those new germs, and being sick for over half the month had something to do with it.  Here we are though, on the mend and Autumn is in the air so back on our game and hopefully back to some delicious cooking…because honestly all that was made last month were pots and pots of Cheaters Chicken Soup!  We did add some variety when we then morphed the Cheaters Chicken Soup into Jalapeno Popper Soup and Silky Gingered Zucchini Soup.  Honestly, soup and scrambled eggs were our diet for the month.  Getting us back into the swing of cooking was two part, a friend asked us to bake some special treats for a party she’s having and it’s Secret Recipe Club time!  Thankfully this month we could accomplish both tasks at the same time as our assigned blog, Danielle’s Mostly Food and Crafts had some wonderful sweet treat recipes to choose from.  Seriously, key lime pie bars, truffle fudge, zeppolle, and brownie biscotti all sounded and looked amazing but in the end we decided on Danielle’s rum balls, because honestly, who can resist a good rum ball?

We stayed pretty true to Danielle’s recipe, really only changing the sugar we rolled the balls in to finish as she used sanding sugar and we used confectioner’s.  How did they turn out?  Well just amazing, we wouldn’t change the recipe a bit!  Check out Danielle’s blog for all her wonderful recipes and crafty fun. 

Chocolate Rum Balls (adapted from here)

• butter for greasing pan
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt 
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of dark rum
• Confectioners sugar, for rolling

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 12x17-inch rimmed baking sheet with foil and grease with butter and set aside.  Place the butter & chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and heat at 50%, stopping and stirring each minute, until the butter and chocolate are melted.  Set aside.  In a large bowl, whisk together the 3 eggs then whisk in the brown sugar, vanilla, and salt. Stir in your chocolate mixture, then fold in the flour.  Pour batter into prepared baking sheet. Spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Bake until top is shiny and a cake tester inserted into center comes out with some crumbs attached, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

Break up the brownie into small pieces and transfer to the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or the bowl of a food processor. With machine on low speed, pour in the dark rum, and mix until crumbs start to come together to form a ball.  Shape into 1-inch balls, and roll in confectioners sugar to coat. This recipe makes 4 dozen rum balls.  Refrigerate the rum balls uncovered, until cold, about 2 hours. Can be served chilled or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts: 

Egg-in-the-Hole 
Baked Teriyaki Chicken Wings 
Baked Jalapeno Popper Dip 
Chipotle Stuffed Mushrooms 
Sriracha Deviled Eggs
Grilled Pizza Sandwich
Roasted Tomato & Red Pepper Mascarpone Soup 
Hearty Bacon, Turkey & Vegetable Frittata
Chicken Satay with Sunbutter “Peanut” Sauce
Asian Pork Chops
Mango Salsa 
Pomegranate Molasses Salad Dressing
Beef Keema  
Roasted Grape Tomato, Garlic & Poblano Ragu
Mexican Feast: Cream of Ancho Chile Soup, Roasted Poblano Burger with Chile de Arbol Guacamole & Pork Crusted Baked Poblano Fries
Zesty Zucchini Skillet
Garlic Seafood in Coconut Milk
Lamb & Eggplant with Chiles
Fijian Ceviche
Carrot & Sweet Potato Pancakes   
Chicken Burgers with Spinach & Mushrooms 
Paradise Mango Curried Shrimp 
Laura Goodenough’s Apple Coffee Cake 
Loaded Potato Soup
Lemon Almond Biscotti 
Creamy Mints 
Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken 
Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings 
Fried Green Tomatoes 
Chicken Satay Noodle Salad 
Double Chocolate Mousse Cake 
Candied Popcorn
Fruit, Nut & Poppy Seed Chicken Salad 
Broiled Sushi 
Health(ier) Peanut Brittle 
Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites 
Texas Chicken with Lime Butter 
Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens 
Thin Mint Irish Coffee 
Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies 
Welsh Cakes 
Nutella Crêpes 
Cilantro Lime Chicken 
Holy Guacamole 
and
Home Style Chicken Curry

Check out the new SRC blog for more exciting recipes from past reveals

An InLinkz Link-up

No-Bake Energy Bites

It seems like forever ago, a friend, Alison, posted a recipe on Facebook for these No-Bake Energy Bites and we thought they would be a hit with Maisie.  That thought was immediately confirmed when Alison shared some of the ones she made with Maisie and she begged to make them that very night!  We have made these bites numerous times and they’re still a requested favorite.  They are simple to make and hold up well in her lunch and gym snack bags. 

The original recipe came from Maggie’s blog, Smashed Peas & Carrots, where she states “You can substitute almost anything for any of the ingredients to work around food allergies, special diets, etc. Soybutter, almond butter, cashew butter, sun butter, etc all works in place of peanut butter. You can use creamed or liquid honey, or agave nectar or even maltitol syrup in place of the honey. If you do not like or cannot eat coconut try some type of crushed cereal, wheat germ, whole wheat flour, granola, cocoa powder...the possibilities are really endless. If you cannot find ground flaxseed you can buy it whole and grind it yourself in a coffee grinder or magic bullet or you can substitute any other dry ingredient in it's place. Yes, the mini chocolate chips can be regular sized or carob or you can use raisins, cranberries, goji berries, or crushed nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts, whatev) of some kind.”  We have stuck to the recipe below because it’s a winner in Maisie’s book but if you try other options, let us know what you did and how they turned out!

No-Bake Energy Bites  (from here)

• 1 cup oatmeal 
• 1/2 cup peanut butter  (or other nut butter)
• 1/3 cup honey  
• 1 cup coconut flakes  
• 1/2 cup ground flaxseed   
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate bits  
• 1 tsp vanilla 

In a medium bowl, mix everything above together until thoroughly incorporated. Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour. Once chilled, roll into balls. Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Enjoy!

Carrot Cake Cheese Cake Fudge

At one of the local farmer’s markets, there is a vendor who sells fudge, and one of the flavors she sometimes carries is Carrot Cake Cheesecake.  Well, Eammon just adored her fudge so we worked to replicate the recipe at home as a treat over the holidays.  Yes, another holiday recipe which only took us 4 months to finally post!  We dissected the farmer’s market fudge layer-by-layer and noted that the fudge was the cheesecake flavor and the bottom crust, even without any carrots, tasted like carrot cake.  So, we researched all sorts of recipes to finally come up with this one which is indistinguishable from the farmer’s market one he loved.  Though there are a few steps to the recipe, it is simple to execute and the results are worth the time.

Carrot Cake Cheese Cake Fudge

For the carrot cake base:

• 1 sleeve  Ritz Original crackers
• 1/2 cup butter 
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar , packed
• 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk 
• 1 tsp. vanilla  
• 1 tsp. cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 
• 1/4 tsp.  ground nutmeg
• 1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

For the Cheesecake Fudge:

• 3 cups white chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter  
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 7 oz. Marshmallow Fluff (1-1/2 cups)
• 1 - 3.4 ounce instant cheesecake pudding mix, DRY

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line an 8x8-inch baking dish with aluminum foil and grease with butter or coconut oil.  Arrange the Ritz Crackers in a even layer on the bottom of the baking dish, breaking some to fill in all the gaps and overlapping as needed.  In a medium saucepan, bring butter and brown sugar to a boil over medium-high heat.  Once the mixture is at a FULL boil, cook for 2 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the sweetened condensed milk, cinnamon, cocoa,  nutmeg & walnuts.  Pour the mixture over the crackers and bake for 10 minutes.  Set aside to cool while making the fudge.

In a medium saucepan combine the white chocolate chips, butter, salt and condensed milk and heat until melted and smooth. Add the dry pudding mix and stir until the mix dissolves and is smooth.  Add the Marshmallow Fluff and stir until melted and smooth. Pour the melted fudge over the crust and use an offset spatula to smooth. 

Refrigerate until set.  Carefully remove the fudge from the pan and peel back the foil.  Using a sharp knife which has been heated in a bowl of hot water and then wiped dry, cut the fudge into small squares.  Clean the knife between each cut with a dish towel and reheat it as necessary.   Store the fudge at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats with Vanilla Coconut Frosting

Summer is flying by and here we are again, the third Thursday of the month and it's Improv Cooking Challenge time again. Like last month I'm still out of sorts as I'm still without a computer, thus still taking pictures with my iPhone and blogging on my iPad.

This month for the Improv Cooking Challenge our hostess Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker challenged the participating bloggers to make any recipe of their choosing using the specified ingredients of vanilla & chocolate. Now those ingredients sound easy enough, I mean who doesn't love vanilla and chocolate? My problem in choosing a recipe though is that I'm not eating either ingredient right now and Eammon doesn't need to eat either ingredient so I limited myself to recipes that would appeal to my Maisie. In the end it was Maisie who led me to make Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats with Vanilla Coconut Frosting.

In the end neither Eammon nor I tried even a morsel of the treats but by the way Maisie and her friends devoured them, I can say that they were a huge success.

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats with Vanilla Coconut Frosting

• 1/2 cup plus 3 TBS. Earth Balance Buttery Spread, divided
• 10 oz.. Mini marshmallows
• 1 cup dark chocolate peanut butter
• 5 1/2 cups Rice Krispies
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2TBS. Coconut milk
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla bean paste

Grease an 8-inch square pan and set aside.

Add 3 TBS. buttery spread and the marshmallows to a microwave safe bowl and heat for two minutes on high. Stir to combine and stir in the peanut butter. Heat for an additional 30-40 seconds and then working quickly, add the Rice Krispies and stir to combine well. Press the mixture into the prepared pan and chill until set.

Once the bars are set, cut into squares but keep them close and together. To make the frosting, combine the remaining 1/2 cup buttery spread, powdered sugar, coconut milk and vanilla bean paste and whisk together until creamy. Drizzle onto the chilled bars.

 

Enjoy!

My previous Improv Cooking Challenge entries:

July 2013 Peaches & Herbs: Peachy Cola Ribs
June 2013 Fish & Chips: Salt &Vinegar Crab Cakes
May 2013 Cinnamon & Sugar: Cinnamon Bun Cookie Bars
April 2013 Bacon & Eggs: Mini Bacon & Swiss Quiche Cups
March 2013 Carrots & Peas: Mom’s Beef Vegetable Soup
February 2013 Hearts & Flours: Three Ingredient Fudgy Nutella Brownie Bites
January 2013 Bananas & Nutmeg: Baked Bananas
December 2012 Chocolate & Marshmallows: White Chocolate Marshmallow Cranberry Cashew Bark
November 2012 Sweet Potatoes & honey: Sweet Potato Glass Noodles with Honey Garlic Lime Shrimp
October 2012 Oatmeal & Raisins: S’mores Granola Bars
September 2012 Zucchini & Brown Sugar: Zucchini with Onion & Brown Sugar
August 2012 Tomatoes & Peppers: French Fries Hash Browns
July 2012 Corn & Butter: Fritos Crusted Pollock
June 2012 Cherries & Almonds: Dried Cherry Almond Tart
May 2012 Strawberries & Cream: Strawberry Soup
April 2012 Peanut butter & Jelly: Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars
March 2012 Potato & Cheese: Loaded Potato & Buffalo Chicken Casserole
February 2012 Ginger & Carrots: Shrimp & Avocado Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing
January 2012 Lemon & Sour Cream: Ponderosa Lemon & Sour Cream Tart
December 2011 Eggnog & Cranberries: Eggnog Popovers with Cranberry Butter
November 2011 Pumpkin & Cream Cheese: Praline Pumpkin Cheesecake
October 2011 Caramel & Apples: Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

 

 

Andes Peppermint Snowball Cookies

It’s one of my favorite times of the month, it’s Secret Recipe Club time!  This month I was assigned a blog that I have been following F.O.R.E.V.E.R., Katrina’s Baking and the Boys!  Katrina bakes copious amounts of crazy delicious treats for her four boys and husband and everything, and I do mean everything, is delicious looking, drool worthy in fact.  Since Katrina is a baker, I just had to bake and let me tell you, choosing a recipe was beyond difficult because…like I said, everything is drool worthy so I wanted it all.  When I saw her recipes for Andes Peppermint Crunch Shortbread Cookies and Peppermint Snowball Cookies, I knew I had found my recipe.  Katrina made two different, but similar, cookies, both using a shortbread cookie recipe, like a Mexican wedding cookie.  I adore Mexican wedding cookies as they’re so buttery, tender and delicious and I also love mint so I knew this would be a winner.  In both of Katrina’s versions she stirred in Andes Peppermint Crunch Chips but it was how she finished the cookies that differed.  One version she topped the cookie with some of the melted peppermint candy and in the second “snowball” version. she rolled the cookies in powdered sugar.  Katrina stated that she liked the snowball cookies a little more but preferred the stronger mint flavor of the drizzle.  She suggested for a more minty flavor in the snowball cookies, to up the amount of chips so I listened to her and did just that.  Though I actually had both versions of Andes Baking Chips in the house, I chose to use the dark chocolate Andes Crème De Menthe Baking Chips in my cookies.  Also, because I was upping the amount of chips in the cookies, thus upping the sweetness, I changed Katrina’s cookie base somewhat, completely eliminating the sugar. 

The cookies were flakey, buttery, chocolate, minty two bite deliciousness and for us, leaving out the sugar in the cookie base made for a perfect amount of sweetness and balance.  Check out Katrina’s versions or make mine, all three versions make a perfect holiday or anytime cookie.      

Andes Peppermint Snowball Cookies (adapted from here)

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 tsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 10-oz. bag Andes baking chips
• Confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 375F.

Using a stand mixer cream together the butter, vanilla & salt until fluffy.  Blend in the flour until fully incorporated.  Stir in the Andes baking chips.  Using a small cookie scoop portion out the cookie batter (you can also roll the batter into walnut sized balls) and place onto a Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheets, placing cookies 1-inch apart.   Bake for 12-15 minutes.  Allow the cookies to cool for a couple of minutes and then remove to a wire rack, placing the cookies close together.  While the cookies are still warm, dust with confectioners sugar. 

Enjoy!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts: 

Paradise Mango Curried Shrimp 
Laura Goodenough’s Apple Coffee Cake 
Loaded Potato Soup
Lemon Almond Biscotti 
Creamy Mints 
Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken 
Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings 
Fried Green Tomatoes 
Chicken Satay Noodle Salad 
Double Chocolate Mousse Cake 
Candied Popcorn
Fruit, Nut & Poppy Seed Chicken Salad 
Broiled Sushi 
Health(ier) Peanut Brittle 
Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites 
Texas Chicken with Lime Butter 
Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens 
Thin Mint Irish Coffee 
Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies 
Welsh Cakes 
Nutella Crêpes 
Cilantro Lime Chicken 
Holy Guacamole 
and
Home Style Chicken Curry

Cinnamon Bun Cookie Bars

This month for the Improv Cooking Challenge our hostess Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker challenged the participating bloggers to make any recipe of their choosing using the specified ingredients of cinnamon and sugar!  I wanted to bake something sweet to share with some friends, so what better ingredients than cinnamon and sugar?  I thought about all my favorite cookie and bar recipes but realized that I tend to make the same cookies over and over again and I wanted to try something different.  So what did I do?  I checked out Pinterest of course and happened upon these cinnamon roll cookie bars from Blissful Whimsy.  

The bars sounded really good but I almost passed on making them because they use a box cake mix.  I don’t know what it is about me but I generally have this thing about using boxed mixes of any kind, thinking everything needs to be made from scratch…but something about these bars just allowed me to look past the whole cake mix thing and I’m so happy about that as these cookie bars are just wonderful.  There’s no trace of that cake mix flavor, in fact these cookie bars taste just like cinnamon buns.  Everyone really loved the crunchy edges and top and the chewy center and the glaze on top was the perfect amount of frosting.  Boxed cake mix and all, I hope that you’ll make these the next time you’re craving a sweet cinnamon treat.

Cinnamon Bun Cookie Bars (recipe from here)  

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 TBS. cinnamon
• 2-3 TBS. milk
• 2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350F.  Mix the cake mix, butter, eggs, brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl and then spread into a greased 9"x13" baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Bake until the top is crispy and a pick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool a bit before piping on the icing.  To make the icing whisk the milk and powdered sugar together until smooth. 

Enjoy!

My previous Improv Cooking Challenge entries:

April 2013  Bacon & Eggs:  Mini Bacon & Swiss Quiche Cups 
March 2013  Carrots & Peas:  Mom’s Beef Vegetable Soup 
February 2013  Hearts & Flours:  Three Ingredient Fudgy Nutella Brownie Bites
January 2013  Bananas & Nutmeg:  Baked Bananas 
December 2012  Chocolate & Marshmallows:  White Chocolate Marshmallow Cranberry Cashew Bark    
November 2012  Sweet Potatoes & honey: Sweet Potato Glass Noodles with Honey Garlic Lime Shrimp 
October 2012  Oatmeal & Raisins:  S’mores Granola Bars   
September 2012  Zucchini & Brown Sugar:  Zucchini with Onion & Brown Sugar 
August 2012  Tomatoes & Peppers:  French Fries Hash Browns 
July 2012  Corn & Butter:  Fritos Crusted Pollock 
June 2012  Cherries & Almonds:  Dried Cherry Almond Tart 
May 2012  Strawberries & Cream:  Strawberry Soup 
April 2012  Peanut butter & Jelly:  Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars 
March 2012  Potato & Cheese:  Loaded Potato & Buffalo Chicken Casserole 
February 2012  Ginger & Carrots:  Shrimp & Avocado Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing 
January 2012 Lemon & Sour Cream:  Ponderosa Lemon & Sour Cream Tart 
December 2011 Eggnog & Cranberries:  Eggnog Popovers with Cranberry Butter 
November 2011 Pumpkin & Cream Cheese:  Praline Pumpkin Cheesecake
October 2011 Caramel & Apples:  Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

Pumpkin Pie Bars ~ Gluten, Egg & Dairy Free

Yummy Pumpkin Pie Bars.  Cake-like on the top and bottom and chewy creamy in the middle.

 

April is National Soyfoods Month and I was contacted by Soyafoods* and asked to try and use their products in one of my recipes.  We use a number of soy products here in the Cook Lisa Cook house as we all adore edamame and go through a package in nothing flat.  Snacks like Sunrich Honey Nutz are always a favorite, especially for Maisie at school or at the gym where it gives her that extra protein and calories she needs to make it through her long gymnastics practices . I use tofu in a number of recipes and because Maisie’s allergic to milk, I often substitute soy milk for dairy milk when baking.  I was totally onboard with featuring a recipe which includes soy, in this case, Westsoy soy milk.  Today’s recipe is for some absolutely delicious Pumpkin Pie Bars, which are Maisie “safe” as they don’t contain any wheat, egg or dairy…but you’d never know that from the flavor.  These bars are sort of a cross between cake and pie because the top and bottom of the bars have the texture of cake and the middle has a nice moist and somewhat chewy creamy texture, not quite as custardy as pumpkin pie, but close.  The bars are simple to make and of course, totally delicious!!

Maisie’s been cooped up at home for a the past few days, recovering from sinus surgery and avoiding our outrageous pollen counts so she was excited to help Mama cook, especially as the final product was for her!

Licking the spatula is always a delicious treat.

I love using my Slice Solutions Pan as it makes perfect portions.  One note though, when using this pan with the insert, it cooks faster than an undivided pan so you’ll have to adjust your cooking time depending on your oven and which pan you use. 

Pumpkin Pie Bars fresh from the oven, with the insert removed.

 Maisie approved, Pumpkin Pie Bar success!!

Pumpkin Pie Bars ~ Gluten, Egg & Dairy Free

• 1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
• 1 cup tapioca flour 
• 1/2 cup corn starch
• 1 tsp. xanthan gum  
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 6 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 4 TBS. ground golden flax seed
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup Westsoy soy milk
• 1 cup vegetable oil 
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 – 15 oz. can 100% pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix) 

Preheat oven to 350F.  Spray a 9 x 13-inch Slice Solutions Pan or baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the rice flour, tapioca flour, corn starch, xanthan gum, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking soda, flax seed, brown sugar and granulated sugar.  With the mixer on low, slowly add the soy milk, oil and lemon juice.  Once the wet ingredients are fully incorporated, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the pumpkin puree.  Mix on low until fully incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Add the Slice Solutions Pan insert and then bake for 50-60 minutes until the tops of the bars are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the bars comes out clean.  (Note, when I cook with the Slice Solutions Pan my baked goods cook faster so if just using a regular undivided pan, your baking time could be as much as 30 minutes longer so keep checking to make sure that your bars aren’t over or under baked.)

Enjoy!

April is National Soyfoods Month so it’s the perfect time to learn about the place for soy in a healthy diet and easy ways to incorporate it into everyday meals.  Packed with protein and fiber, soyfoods are a tasty way to reduce calories, saturated fat and maintain your weight.  Many soy products like veggie burgers cook and thaw faster than traditional meat sources so that means more time and convenience—who couldn’t use more of both?

The Soyfoods Association of North America (SANA) provides information about the health benefits and nutritional advantages of soy. SANA offers fun recipes and convenient ways to incorporate soy into meals for everyone – from athletes to families. SANA is dedicated to spreading the word about soy, especially during National Soyfoods Month in April!  Here are just a few ways that soy can help make your life easier and healthier: Take this mixed berry smoothie up a notch with creamy and delicious WESTSOY Soymilk made from whole organic soybeans: Berry Smoothie WESTSOY Soymilk.  Need a snack on-the-go? Grab some gluten free SOYJOY bars to fuel up with nutrients in seconds, SOYJOY bars. On those busy weeknights, add some Wildwood tofu to the standard stir-fry for more protein or this spinach fettuccini to your favorite pasta sauce, Wildwood Tofu.  Packing lunches with the same snacks can get a little boring, but honey roasted soy nuts are a sweet and crunchy snack packaged in individual sizes, perfect for the lunch box, Honey Roasted Soy Nuts.  Packed with protein and fiber, soyfoods are a great way to reduce calories, cholesterol and saturated fat. They also serve as a great source of iron, calcium, vitamin B-12, magnesium and zinc.  Including soyfoods into your diet is easy and convenient. See the recipes below: Soymilk adds a healthy twist to any smoothie and these scalloped potatoes: Soy Milk Scalloped Potatoes.  Edamame makes a great energy-boosting snack and puts in an interesting twist on this hummus: Edamame Hummus,  Easy recipes to get cooking with soy ingredients: Easy recipes to get cooking with soy

Follow the SoyFoods Association on Twitter at @SocialSANA

Follow SoyFoods Association on Facebook

 

Disclosures:

* This sponsorship is brought to you by Soyfoods Association who we have partnered with for this promotion. I was provided with a box of products to sample.  This is a compensated post but all the views and opinions expressed are my own and based upon my experiences with Soyfoods Association products.

Lemon Almond Biscotti

It’s Secret Recipe Club time again, one of my favorite times of the month.  I love receiving my secret cooking pal assignment, going through their blog, checking out all their recipes, choosing one to make and feature and of course reveal day is best of all as I we all post and see what everyone has made.  This month my assignment was to cook from Kate’s Food Babbles.  I have been a reader of Kate’s blog for a while as I not only participate in the Secret Recipe Club with her but we also both participate monthly in the Improv Cooking Challenge.  I also “know” Kate from the lovely and kind comments she always leaves on my challenge recipes.  Kate’s blog is filled with so many gorgeous food photos, I just wanted to make everything,  I think that this month I was craving sugar as I had a real rough time deciding on a recipe.  I narrowed it down to Kate’s peppermint patties, maple bacon caramel corn, bacon caramel tart, potato chip cookies, Mexican hot chocolate and her Lemon Biscotti. In the end the biscotti won out as I had everything in the house and I’ve also been craving lemon, but trust me, a few others from the list will be made soon. 

I’ve made biscotti in the past and both Eammon and I love them with our tea and coffee but I’ve never made them with a citrus and as I’ve been craving lemon, these biscotti were just perfect.  I changed Kate’s recipe a little, really just bumping up the lemon a bit with the addition of lemon extract and in place of her almond extract I used vanilla bean paste and then to get that bit of almond flavor back in, I chose to add toasted slivered almonds.  These biscotti were simple to make, super crunchy, the lemon flavor really shined through and the combo of the lemon, almonds and white chocolate was light and delicious.  These biscotti were a big hit here in the Cook Lisa Cook home and I’m looking forward to making more of Kate’s delicious recipes.  Hop over to Kate’s blog to check out the original recipe and all of her other wonderful treats.

Lemon Almond Biscotti (slightly adapted from here) 

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour 
• 1 tsp baking powder 
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar 
• 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste 
• 1 tsp. lemon extract
• zest of 1 lemon, finely minced
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted 
• 8 oz. white chocolate 

Preheat oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper and set aside.  In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the eggs, sugar, vanilla bean paste, lemon extract, lemon zest and lemon juice. Whisk at medium speed for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture thickens and holds its shape.  Using a silicone spatula, fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture and then fold in the slivered almonds.

On a lightly floured surface, with damp hands, divide the dough into 2 portions and shape each into a 3-inch diameter log.  Transfer the logs to the prepared baking sheet, spacing evenly.  Bake for 16 minutes, or until lightly browned.  Remove from oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes on the baking sheet.  Reduce oven temperature to 300F.

With a sharp slice each log into ½”-thick slices.  Arrange cookies, cut sides up, in a single layer on a Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Bake until firm, about 20 minutes, flipping midway through baking.  Cool completely. They will get crunchier as they cool.

Line a cool baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper. Set aside.

Chop the white chocolate and place in a glass or metal bowl. Place the bowl over a pot of barely simmering water. Do not let the bowl touch the water. Stir until the chocolate is smooth and melted.  Dip the bottoms of the biscotti into the melted chocolate and place on the parchment lined baking sheet. Allow the chocolate to set completely.

Store in an airtight container up to one week.

Enjoy!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts: 

Creamy Mints 
Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken 
Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings 
Fried Green Tomatoes 
Chicken Satay Noodle Salad 
Double Chocolate Mousse Cake 
Candied Popcorn
Fruit, Nut & Poppy Seed Chicken Salad 
Broiled Sushi 
Health(ier) Peanut Brittle 
Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites 
Texas Chicken with Lime Butter 
Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens 
Thin Mint Irish Coffee 
Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies 
Welsh Cakes 
Nutella Crêpes 
Cilantro Lime Chicken 
Holy Guacamole 
and
Home Style Chicken Curry