pure vanilla extract Archives

Vegan Dark Chocolate Fruit Dip

February 10, 2016 by Kristin

At any given time, I have about four cans of Trader Joe’s coconut cream in my fridge. It is my go-to dessert in a crisis. You know, the kind of crisis when you’re on a health kick, craving something sweet, and there isn’t a sweet thing to be found in your kitchen? Coconut cream makes the struggle less real.

When cold and whipped, coconut cream takes on almost the exact consistency of whipped cream, making it perfect for topping fruit. Remember those piña colada skewers I made a while back? So. Good.

Made with finely grated dark chocolate and cocoa powder, the chocolate version of this whipped coconut cream recipe is a delicious dessert addition to any menu.

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Homemade Spiced Marshmallows

December 22, 2015 by Kristin

It’s a fact, the holiday season turns my little sweet tooth into something major. The sugary treats that I’ve thought about making all year come to fruition. And my ordinarily blackest black coffee welcomes a little flavor, especially in the form of a homemade marshmallow.

Homemade marshmallows are super duper easy and are a perfectly sweet canvas for holiday flavors. And since I’ve been incorporating Chinese five spice into everything these days, spiced marshmallows for Christmas coffee seemed like the way to go.

Recipe below adapted from Martha Stewart.

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Gingerbread Lofthouse Cookie Recipe

December 13, 2015 by Kristin

Cookies are not my weak spot. A brownie sundae? You bet ya! But cookies have never really been my thing. Unless.. it’s a container of those fluffy, cakey cookies with a perfect circle of frosting with sprinkles that can typically be found in the bakery. That kind of cookie can be my thing.

I did some super sophisticated Google searching: “fluffy, cakey cookies”, “super fluffy cookies”, “cake-like cookies”. From there, I found out that my guiltiest cookie pleasure has a brand name, Lofthouse Cookies. I found a few blogger recipes, like this one from Two Peas & Their Pod, and realized I’m not the only one with an obsession.

I quickly made this recipe my own and modified to be gingerbread-esque, using brown sugar, molasses, freshly grated ginger, and Chinese five spice {my holiday fav}. And now I can’t stop, won’t stop, taking a cookie with me every time I leave the kitchen!

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Chef Kerstin Bellah’s Paleo Cacao Nib Cookies

August 23, 2015 by Kristin

The first time I met Kerstin, she was piping something, perfectly, in the St. Philip kitchen. She asked if I wanted to try what she was making and I responded that I couldn’t, that I wasn’t eating dairy or gluten. And with her head down, intently making the most uniform desserts you could possibly imagine, she said she didn’t either. I walked away {more than} a bit confused. Shortly after, my construction focus switched from St. Philip to Uchi Dallas. And that was that.

What feels like tens of years {but was actually only one year} later, we connected on Facebook after I photographed food for Juniper, a soon-to-be-open Austin restaurant where Kerstin is heading up pastry. And when I saw this picture of paleo cacao nib cookies on my newsfeed, the chain of thought went something like pretty cookies! -> paleo cookies? -> how can paleo cookies look so much like fancy pants bakery cookies? -> oh, they’re Kerstin’s cookies -> Kerstin is a pastry superhero -> I want to make fancy pants superhero paleo cookies -> I wonder if she’ll share the recipe?.

I “liked” the photo and sent an inquiring message, not knowing how receptive she’d be to sharing. And before another thought entered my busy bee brain, she replied that sharing the recipe would be awesome and she’d send the recipe over as soon as she got home.

To say I’ve been looking forward to baking these cookies all week is the most giant of understatements. After sixty-ish weekly Dallas trips and the recent flood of weekend getaways, my body is in major need of the good for you stuff. And as I get back on the gluten-free, dairy-free train, I’m so thankful to know that these delish cookies will have my back, keeping me company when temptation is near.

Thank you, Kerstin, for allowing me to share this recipe with the FoodFash world!

P.S. I used carob chips instead of cacao nibs because.. accident.

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