chocolate

Dessert, Gluten Free, Winter, Fall, Chocolate

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE DATE CAKE

Sara Forte · February 26, 2015

I rarely get overly descriptive about the recipes here but because I appreciate a bit of detail when I read other sites, I'm getting chatty. I tinkered with this recipe from Green Kitchen Travels as David and Luise are a go-to for more wholesome desserts. In the treat department, I like to know if I'm getting dense, super sweet, a healthier take, light and airy, or wherever it lies in the spectrum. There is a time and place for each of those sorts of desserts on different occasions. A flourless chocolate cake, classically speaking, is not really cake-like in texture at all. It is dense and rich and more similar to a brownie or fudge than cake and I am perfectly happy with that. This version is more wholesome - the refined sugar being replaced by a thick date paste that contributes a nice caramely sweetness. I thought the dates would throw off the fudge factor, or maybe not make it as decadent and I was wrong. This cake is rich and chocolatey. The date paste actually makes it even more fudgy while not being sickeningly so. Rich but not heavy and even better the second day as it all sank into itself. I appreciate some cream and berries with my chocolate for flavor contrast and also for the color they add. It's so pretty all piled high with hues of red and purple. I'll maybe even double the quantity next time.

I'm hoping to have some book details to share with you next week. It comes out THIS month. Eep!

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE DATE CAKE // Serves 8

Adapted from Green Kitchen Travels

The original recipe uses ground hazelnuts which I am sure lend a fabulous flavor but almond meal was on hand. I also chose to use buttermilk instead of the orange juice and zest because I have an aversion to citrus and chocolate together. If you are not crazy like me, it sounds really different and surely lovely. The original recipe calls for an 8" springform pan and I only own a 10" and used it anyway. If you have an 8", give it a little more cooking time to make up for the depth of the cake.

1 1/2 cups almond meal
1/2 tsp. salt
About 25 (2 cups) soft dates, pitted and roughly chopped
1/3 cup buttermilk
5 eggs, seperated
3 Tbsp. natural cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
7 ounces dark chocolate
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter

// for topping //
whipping cream (8 ounces whipping cream whisked with 3 T. powdered sugar and a dash of vanilla)
OR coconut cream (chill a can of full fat coconut milk overnight, scoop off the firm top and beat it with 2 T. powdered sugar or maple syrup)
1 1/2 cups mixed berries, chopped small (I used pom seeds, blackberries and strawberries)

Preheat the oven to 350'. Line a springform pan with parchment paper and grease the bottom and sides.

Put the almond meal and salt in large mixing bowl. Into a food processor, combine the dates, buttermilk, egg yolks, cocoa powder and baking soda and blend until smooth and sticky.

Over a pot of barely boiling water, into a glass bowl combine the chocolate and butter. The bottom of the bowl should not touch the water line. Stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Add the date mixture and the chocolate mixture into the almond meal bowl and stir to mix.

Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture (it will be thick) and transfer it into the prepared pan. Bake for 50-65 minutes until the cake is firm but not dry. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool completely (just trust me, it's better cooled).

Spread the whipping cream on top and top with the berries. Serve immediately. The cake will keep for 3 days in the fridge.

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Dessert, Gluten Free, Snack, Chocolate

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Sara Forte · February 8, 2014

Tripple Chocolate Cookies . Sprouted Kitchen

I left a stick of butter out at room temperature knowing cookies were in our future. I usually go for oatmeal chocolate chip. Sometimes I add peanut butter or dried cherries to change it up. They usually end up baked to order in the toaster oven and a la mode in this house, so even if they turn out less than perfect, it is nothing a scoop of ice cream can't make right. I try to bake without wheat when I can and believe cookies are the most forgiving baked good when you're making an educated guess with gluten free flours. Wheat or no wheat aside, I find a mix of almond meal, flax, and rice flour make a beautifully tender crumb. I had been craving brownies but didn't want an entire tray full around, so I attempted a super chocolatey cookie. Experimenting doesn't always work out for me, specifically with baking, but these were spot on first try. As luck would have it, when I wasn't writing things down. I did my best to mimic what I did that first round, and while these aren't exact, it's the closest I can get. The following are not doughy cookies, they are thinner with a bit of chewiness. I suspect they'd make great ice cream sandwiches had they lasted long enough to try. A number of recipe-starved Instagram followers asked for the recipe so I am publishing it here as it seemed there was a need. It's nearly Valentines and while Hugh and I typically make understated plans with an exchange of cards, there will be treats. Because you really must always have treats.

A handful of talented and thoughtful bloggers donated posts on Monday to feed impoverished school children in South Africa via The Lunchbox Fund. I'd venture to assume most of us have not had to go through the day with an empty belly and taking action here is a small step we can take to give that privilege to children in need. You may donate whatever you are able to give should this cause tug on your heart strings. I hope that one day we can fix the system, with less going to waste and more people recieving adequate food. It is easy to donate if you wish.

Chocolate Chips & Cocoa . Sprouted Kitchen

Tripple Chocolate Cookie Dough . Sprouted Kitchen

Cookies and hugs and kisses to you, lovelies.

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE COOKIES // Makes 15 cookies

While I typically use the natural/non alkalized cocoa powder, I had some high quality Valhrona powder I have been hoarding and used for these. If you use natural, you'll need baking soda, not powder, though I'm humbly not positive if it would be an exact volume swap. If anyone is a baking scientist or gives it a try, let me know. However, this cocoa is insane...and I love these nibs while I'm name dropping.

I used a few drops of mint extract and melted a bar of minted dark chocolate for the drizzle topping because I love mint and chocolate together. If you want to skip the mint, a teaspoon of instant coffee in the dough will intensify the chocolate flavor.

1 stick / 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup natural cane sugar
1/2 cup packed muscavado sugar
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 egg, room temperature
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract (optional - see head note)
2/3 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup almond meal
2 Tbsp. flax meal
3 Tbsp. dutch cocoa powder (see head note)
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup semi sweet or dark chocolate chips

3 ounce dark chocolate bar, melted down
1/3 cup cocoa nibs

Preheat the oven to 350.

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, cane sugar, muscavado and sea salt until smooth and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla and peppermint extract, if using, and mix. Add the brown rice flour, almond meal, flax meal, cocoa and baking powder and mix until just combined. Lastly, add the chocolate chips and chill the dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours in advance.

On a parchment lined baking sheet, arrange the cookies with 2'' between for spreading. Bake the cookies on the middle rack for 10 minutes until the edges are dry but the centers are still barely wet. They will set as they cool. Remove to cool completely.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Drizzle the cookies with the chocolate and sprinkle the cocoa nibs on top to stick as the chocolate cools.

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Snack, Breakfast, Dessert, Gluten Free, Chocolate

PEANUT BUTTER GRANOLA BARS

Sara Forte · August 27, 2013

Besides that I adore it staying light much later, I regret it hasn't felt incredibly summery over here. We have done a few picnics by the beach, my shoulders are tanned and I'm eating my weight in fruit, but I can't say I have felt this season. I think it's easier to see summer with kids or a school schedule, as these three months are marked by a break in routine. Now it's nearly Labor Day, the holiday that reminds us summer is fading, I just now feel called to be more present in this time. Maybe I'm not in school and my work demands carry on just as they did in the spring and winter past, but I want to be here. It's likely not just summer I'm needing to witness, I think it's the curse of the (primarily) self-employed that there is always something to do, which takes away from rest and presence. There is so much wonderfulness to take in if we'll stop and pay attention. I wish I'd stop and pay attention. Luckily September and October are my favorite months around here. Time to suit up and jump in.

I keep tinkering with granola bar recipes to find just the right texture. Typically, I use brown rice syrup in granola-type bars, but wanted to try the maple route this round. I will say that the rice syrup creates a stickier bar, making everything hold together more easily. The maple is great, but expect the bars to be more loose and fragile. I added a few more dates and peanut butter in the written recipe than the photos reflect so they stay together a bit better. I toast the oats for a little extra favor, but otherwise these guys are no-bake, so they yield a chewier bar, not the crispy shattering sort. You can play around with the nut or seed butter, maybe a different dried fruit besides dates, but it's nice to have a tasty snack for your beach bag or lunch box.

PEANUT BUTTER GRANOLA BARS // Makes 12 in an 11x7 pan

An adaptation from Minimalist Baker

I used a 7x11inch dish. Try to use something close, they will be thinner bars in a 9x13 or super thick in an 8x8.

1 cup old fashioned oats
2 cups crisp rice cereal
1/2 cup almonds
2 Tbsp. chia, buckwheat, flax seeds or a mix of these (I used this blend)
2 cups pitted dates (about 14 large Medjool dates)
1/2 cup maple syrup or brown rice syrup
1 cup natural peanut butter (or nut or seed butter of choice)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
4 oz. dark chocolate

Preheat the oven to 350'. Toast the oats on a baking sheet for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the crisp rice, almonds, seeds, cooled oats and stir to mix. Chop up the dates well to make a chunky paste (this could be done in the food processor but I hate cleaning it for one small task). If your dates seem dry, add a splash of warm water to get them tacky. Think toothpaste sort of texture.

Warm the maple, peanut butter, cinnamon, salt and stir to mix. Pour the PB mix and dates over the dry ingredients and mix everything together, breaking up the date clumps with your hands to disperse. Just get your hands dirty, you need a big sticky heap.

Line a 7x11inch pan with parchment paper. Press the mixture down in an even layer, using the bottom of something flat to push the mixture down tightly as possible.

In a double boiler or a glass bowl over a pot of simmering water, melt the chocolate until smooth. Drizzle the chocolate (or spread it evenly) on top of the bars. Chill in the fridge for one hour before cutting. Keep covered in the fridge for optimum freshness or wrap them individually and store in the freezer.

The bars will keep for about 5 days in the fridge.

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