Halloween Devil's Food Drops

Happy Halloween! I hope you're all enjoying lots and lots of good candy today.

I found a version of these devil's food cookies in a cookbook of mine, and based on the name, I thought they would be a wonderful recipe to try for Halloween. Like Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter, and many other holidays, I love the imaginative recipes that so many people create. This is one reason why I bake in general: it's a great creative outlet, and the seasonal treats that everyone, from my friends to the neighborhood bakery, create put me in a festive mood. And although I did not make any chocolate witch's hats or ghost cupcakes (to be honest, I didn't even wear a costume!), I wanted to celebrate somehow.
I took this recipe and made several modifications to make them a bit healthier, and not so “wicked” (if you prefer to place moral judgment on your baked goods). Nevertheless, these cookies are unbelievably rich, dense, and utterly chocolate-y. The white chocolate topping adds some needed sweetness, but it can be omitted if you're in the mood for something darker.

Devil's Food Drops

Yield: About 48 cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup date sugar
2 large eggs
1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
2/3 cup light sour cream
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
4 oz. good quality white chocolate

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350° F and coat two cookie sheets with cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a large bowl, blend the applesauce and the date sugar with a hand mixer for about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one a time, blending well after each addition. Add vanilla extract and blend together.
4. At a low speed, alternatively add the flour mixture with the sour cream, mixing until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
5. Drop by the teaspoonful onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 12-14 minutes, watching carefully at the end. The cookies are done when they are set and there is a slight browning on the bottoms. Cool completely on wire racks.
6. In a double boiler, melt the white chocolate. Using a wooden spoon, drizzle or drop dots of white chocolate on top of the cookies. Let the white chocolate harden.

Autumn Butternut Squash Pie

Although I've never been a huge fan of pumpkin pie, over the past couple of years I've tried a slice here and there that I really enjoy. And recently when I was having a discussion about pies, the butternut squash pie came up in conversation. It makes sense to use butternut squash as a stand-in for pumpkin when making the traditional pie. Butternut squash is baked in a similar way, and pureed the same; I used a food mill to get the fine squash for the pie, but blending in a food processor will do it just as well.

And also like pumpkin, butternut squash is quite nutritious: this pie is full of vitamin C, magnesium, and potassium.

I'm now adding this recipe to the list of pies that I like and would make again. The filling was spicy, but also sweet and creamy. The gluten-free crust was also impressive, and although it is not flaky like the crusts made with shortening, it is crumbly and substantial, without taking away from the delicious impression that the butternut squash leaves behind.

Butternut Squash Pie with Gluten-Free Crust

Yield: one 9'' pie

Ingredients:

Gluten-Free Crust –
1 ½ cup oat flour
1 ½ cup brown rice flour
¾ cup butter
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2-4 Tbsp. ice water
Filling –
1 ½ cups pureed squash
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
3 large eggs
3/4 cup low-fat evaporated milk
1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
¼ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. brown rice flour
1 Tbsp. melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Crust –
Combine flours in a medium-sized bowl. Cut in butter and then gradually add oil, working the dough together with your hands. Add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and knead together.
Lightly flour a 9” pie plate. Press the dough on the bottom and the sides of the plates.
Filling –
1. To get 1 ½ cups pureed butternut squash, cut the tops off of 2 butternut squash. Halve them length-wise, and place in a glass baking dish with 1 inch or so water at the bottom. Place the squash face-down and bake at 400º F for 70-80 minutes. Scoop the squash out of its skin, and pass through a food mill or a food processor.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the squash with the brown sugar. Add eggs, evaporated milk, spices salt, flour, butter, and vanilla. Beat until well blended.
3. Pour the filling into the pie crust and place on the center oven rack. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350º F, or until set, checking after about 30 minutes. When the filling is set, transfer the pie to a rack to cool.

GF Pumpkin Cookies

These are pumpkin cookies that I thought would be perfect for this time of year. They're gluten-free, and have a chewy texture and are not overly sweet, but are quite spicy.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cookies

Yield: about 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups millet flour
½ cup amaranth flour
3 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. nutmeg
¼ tsp. ground ginger
1 cup chopped pecan halves
1 cup raisins
½ cup vegetable oil
1 cup honey
¾ cup date sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp. molasses
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1-½ cups canned pumpkin puree

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400° F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. In large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, ginger, raisins, and pecans.
3. In another large bowl, combine the oil, honey, date sugar, eggs, molasses, and vanilla extract. Then mix in the pumpkin puree.
4. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well.
5. Spoon the cookie batter onto cookie sheets and bake about 12-14 minutes.

Rolled-Out Oat Cutouts

Every year, around Christmas-time, I wonder whether or not I should bake rolled-out sugar cookies. On one hand, I love the countless styles of cookie cutters and the possibility of frosting and decoration artistry. On the other hand, I don't very much like the taste of sugar cookies. Given that, it should not be a question whether or not I ought to make these cookies, but also given that one of my favorite stores in Seattle is basically a boutique of cookie cutters, I usually find myself in a very difficult position. Until now! I found this recipe for roll-out, cut-out cookies, which feeds into my love of cookie cutters, and they do not fall into the typical sugar cookie category. Their texture is much heartier, thanks to the whole wheat flour and the rolled oats, but for those who truly love sugar cookies, the buttery taste is still there. However, these are not overly sweet, and they don't really lend themselves to sugary frostings, either. I decorated mine with a simple brushing of beaten egg and a sprinkling of raw sugar, for a hint of sparkle. I do think, though, that some sort of icing would be in order for these cookies, and I'll have to experiment with that next time, especially as I begin to make these for friends for the holidays.

Rolled-Out Oat Cutouts

Ingredients:
¾ cup unsalted butter
¾ cup evaporated cane juice
1 Tbsp. low-fat milk
1 egg
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
2 ½ cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. salt
1 cup rolled oats

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350º F. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and evaporated cane juice together until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and oats to the bowl and stir until well-combined.
4. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and roll to a 1/8-inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut into shapes. Transfer the cookies to the baking sheets.
5. Bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks.

Yurt Apple Bread Pudding

Before I moved out west, I had never heard of yurts. And when I was introduced to the concept, my initial reaction was that yurts seem to be glorified tents. However, as I've been inside more yurts and discovered their versatility, I now only jokingly refer to these structures as “nice circus tents.” Actually, yurts are amazing dwellings, and while they originated in Central Asia as temporary and portable living structures, they also are beautiful semi-permanent homes in this area.

A friend on the island lives in a yurt, and the reason I'm mentioning it is because of what a warm, cozy, and comfortable place it is. When I went there for dinner recently, the evening was chilly, but inside the yurt the temperature was lovely, and the subdued lights along with the circular skylight that is central to yurts made me, and the other guests, feel as though we were wrapped in blankets atop piles of fluffy pillows. The atmosphere of the place exuded a hospitable snugness, and I was pleased to have made a bread pudding that meshed in perfectly with my surroundings.

This recipe for Apple Bread Pudding comes, with a couple of modifications, from one of my new favorite cookbooks: The New Laurel's Kitchen. A vegetarian cookbook, it not only offers recipes for yummy healthful food, but it's a fantastic resource for all kinds of matters, from in-season vegetables to the the best foods for a growing child. And this bread pudding, though it was moist and slightly creamy, is not heavy. It is best right out of the oven, after cooling for ten or fifteen minutes, and I would recommend that the entire portion gets eaten that way; it does not reheat so well the next day. The grating of the apples took some time, but it was worth it, given the fragrance of the spectacular mixture of ingredients: apples along with cinnamon along with brown sugar. In addition to the intoxicating aroma, I was happy with the amount of calcium and fiber that the bread pudding has, thanks to the whole grain bread and the cottage cheese and milk. I'm not sure how the texture might change if whole milk cottage cheese and regular milk were used, but I found the low-fat versions worked very well with the dish.

Apple Bread Pudding

Ingredients:
2 cups grated apples
Juice of 1 lemon
4 cups whole grain bread, cubed small
½ cup low-fat cottage cheese
1/3 cup raisins
¼ tsp. cinnamon
2 cups skim milk
1 egg
¼ cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp. butter

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Coat an 8” x 8” pan with canola oil spray.
2. Grate the apples and toss with lemon juice.
3. Put 1/3 of the bread in the bottom of the pan. Cover with half the apple, half the cottage cheese, half the raisins, and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
4. Blend the milk, egg, and sugar together and pour half over the ingredients in the pan. Repeat the layers of bread, apples, and liquid, ending with more bread. Pour the last of the milk mixture over the top, sprinkle with cinnamon, and dot with butter.
5. Let the pudding sit for 20 minutes. Bake, covered, for 45 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes, then serve.

Homemade Apple Butter

There are a plethora of autumn foods that get my nostalgia going, and many of them are related to the apple orchard close to my home in Connecticut. Not only was it a You-Pick piece of land, of course, but it had the orchard shop, which always seemed to me to be a massive converted barn with high ceilings, rustic wood beams, and soft light that was never harsh. The shop carried many wonders, and the majority of them were apple-themed: caramel apple kits, apple pies, apple bread, a variety of ciders, and apple butter. I always knew that it was possible to make an apple pie or apple bread at home, and helped out with these projects many times. And apple cider was something we were able to find almost anywhere, when the season was right. But apple butter was different: we never made it, it was never given to us as a gift, and it never materialized from anywhere except for this particular orchard, and only for a few months out of the year.

As I grew, I came to realize that apple butter was not such an exotic thing, but I still thought that making it from scratch would be a laborious process that would surely end in disaster. Until this year, I had never considered making it on my own, but then I started to see recipes for apple butter pop up in various locations, and I decided it would be worth a try. For me, it was worth two tries. The night before I made this apple butter, from The New Laurel's Kitchen, I used another recipe, and as if to confirm my former preconceptions, the result was a disaster. Nothing even resembling apple butter materialized. But by that point, I was determined to make this, and so I searched through my cookbooks for a recipe. To my utter excitement, I found what I was looking for, and I resolved to try the apple butter again, with a new recipe and only a bit of a bruised baking ego.

And I'm grateful I did...the apple butter that is now sitting in jars in my refrigerator is precisely what my hometown apple orchard gave to me so many years ago, and which I thought might have been lost to me, a coast away. But this apple butter is spicy, not terribly sweet, and deliciously apple-y. I used Red Delicious apples and 2 heaping tablespoons of honey; unfortunately, I did not have apple juice on hand, so I settled for water, but I can't tell that anything is lost in the flavor.

It took quite some time for the apples to soften at first, so be patient and keep checking. I ended up splitting many of the apple quarters into smaller chunks. And as for simmering the mixture and reducing it, this also took a little while. I made sure to stay by the stove and stir it consistently, and I had no problems.

Since I did not technically preserve the apple butter through traditional canning methods, it is perishable and should be refrigerated. However, I'm more concerned with running out too quickly and making another batch before next weekend than I am about having it spoil on me.

Apple Butter

From The New Laurel's Kitchen
Yield: 2-3 cups

Ingredients:
2 lbs. apples
½ cup apple juice or water
½ cup cider vinegar
2-3 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. allspice
Dash cloves

Directions:
1. Core and quarter the apples and place in a saucepan with apple juice and cider vinegar. Bring to a boil, then lower heat, cover, and simmer until apples are soft.
2. Press apples through a food mill or strainer, discard skins, and return to saucepan. Mix in honey, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a brisk simmer, stirring frequently, to reduce mixture. It is done when it “sheets” as you drop it from a spoon.
3. Cool, transfer to seal-able jars, and store in the refrigerator.

Peace Love Agave

Welcome to Peace Love Agave!

This blog blossomed out of my previous baking blog, The Sweet Beat (which, fortunately, I was able to import into this blog, so all of the old recipes are available here as well), where I explored the vast landscape of baking through experimenting in the kitchen, tasting my way around a couple of different cities, and researching all I could find from cookbooks, websites, blogs, and even culinary school textbooks. The one thing I lacked, however, was a focus. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but since the start, I had been hoping to find one avenue of baking to which I was particularly attracted, one that called out to me like no other. I should have known that all I needed to do was to be patient, keep an open mind, and try absolutely everything.

As my previous post states, the variety of baking that has taken over my life and my kitchen is wholesome baking: this includes the use of alternative grains like Amaranth flour and Teff flour, reductions in butter and oils, and alternative sweeteners like brown rice syrup and agave nectar. Agave nectar has become such an important facet to my baking, and to alternative sweetening in general, that I thought it merited a place in my blog title. That, along with peace and love: baking brings me peace, and I put so much love into my baking.

I'm thrilled to be starting a new culinary chapter in such an amazing place: Friday Harbor in San Juan Island. Many people here are attracted to local and healthful food, so when I bring out my gluten-free or high-fiber cookies, I know that the audience for that kind of baking is definitely present. But the point of me writing them down and talking a little about the recipes is to get them out of my own little kitchen, off of the island, and into everyone else's homes as well.