Super Rich Cookie Brownies

These brownie cookie bars may be super rich and super sweet, but they are also completely vegan! It just goes to show vegans can eat rich and decadent treats as well.

Brownie Base
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups granulated (white) sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup oil
1 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Caramel Hazelnut Filling
Maple Cookie Mix
1/3 cup flaked almonds

Preheat oven to 350◦F. Mix all brownie ingredients together and spread in a 9x9 inch pan.
Heat together hazelnut paste and sugar to a boil. Spread over brownie as evenly as possible.
Top with spoonfuls of cookie batter, which will spread out during baking.
Top with almonds.
Bake for 25 minutes until set.

Chocolate Granola Berry Tart

Step #1: Leftover chocolate granola + chocolate hazelnut spread (from the bottom of the jar) + oil
Combine until it is somewhat sticky and press into a pizza pan lined with plastic wrap. Chill until firm.
Step #2: Frozen mixed berries + bittersweet chocolate
Defrost a bowlful of frozen mixed berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries) until they are soft and have released liquid. Stir in a few chunks of bittersweet chocolate and stir until melted, smooth, and mixture is slightly thickened. Spread over base, leave an edge, is desired.

Step #3: Leftover brittle
Find some leftover nut brittle (pistachio and candied ginger), crush it, and sprinkle it on top.
Serve now or chill until firm!
Here is how to make a really easy, yet really tasty and chocolaty dessert using only leftovers scrounged up from around the house and only one bowl! No expensive ingredients, and no big kitchen clean-ups required!!

Sweet Potato Custard

Sweet Potato Coconut Custard + Cranberry Hazelnut Granola + Maple Syrup Reduction + Melon Pearls + Pickled Chutney + Microgreens

Sweet Potato Coconut Custard
450 grams sweet potato, baked with skin on until tender, then peeled and puréed
400mL canned coconut milk
2-4 Tablespoons maple syrup
2 Tablespoons agar agar

Whisk the warm sweet potato purée and milk together in a small saucepan. Whisk in the syrup and agar agar. Bring to a boil over gentle heat, stirring often. Allow to boil for a minute or two until slightly thickened. Pour into a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (size depends upon how thick or thin you would like your custard to be). Chill until set, in the freezer if you would like it to set faster. Cut into desired shapes while still firm, and allow to soften and come to room temperature to serve. Can be stored refrigerated or frozen.

Gouda Panna Cotta Plate

The other day I came up with this cold appetizer for service. It consists of: 

• Gouda Panna Cotta
• Parmesan Hazelnut Crustini
• Blue Cheese Aioli
• Poached Pears
• Berry Coulis
• Dandelion Greens
• Chocolate Balsamic Hazelnut Dressing
• Toasted Hazelnut Crumb

I called it 'Hazelnut Cheese Trio'. 
The panna cotta was a leftover I was using up, so sadly I do not have a recipe. I also found the poached pears and coulis, found some dandelion greens, and made crumble and crustini, and a dressing to bump it up.

Nutella At Home

I made homemade vegan nutella once. But it didn't turn out quite as I had wanted it to. It was tasty, but not as smooth and decadent as commercial nutella. I decided to try again

I first processed toasted (peeled) hazelnuts in  my food processor to form a smooth hazelnut butter. This did not take as long as I had anticipated because hazelnuts are a fairly oily nut. I did this as a separate step to make the finished butter more smooth and less gritty. I set that aside, then cooked some dates in water until they were very soft (if you have good, fresh dates, this step may optional). Then I puréed these separately to form a date paste. I then combined the two together in my food processor, adding some unsweetened cocoa powder, vanilla extract, coconut milk, and melted coconut butter so added smoothness, flavor and to thin. Process until smooth, and enjoy!


The hazelnut to date ration depends upon how sweet you would like your nutella. If you prefer a sweeter, more decadent nutella, use a liquid sweetener such as maple syrup, agave, or glucose. Melted chocolate also makes for a more decadent nutella, though keep in mind these options will make the nutella less of a nutritious, vitamin-rich nut butter and more of an occasional dessert. You can use any type of milk, and omit the coconut butter or use your favorite oil.
This is a much more nutritious version of the commercial nutella - which is very high in sugar and fat. This spread can be used just as much as any natural nut butter, and contains a pleasing hint of chocolate!

Ferrero Rocher Bars

Happy World Nutella Day 2016! In past years, I have gone all out making multiple nutella-based treats. Sometimes I just go on nutella sprees and make nutella goodies throughout the year. If you type 'nutella' into the search bar of my blog, you will find many, many recipes and creations!

Nutella, the delicious chocolate hazelnut spread that goes well with nearly any sweet thing, deserves to have its very own day to celebrate it. In case you are wondering, no, commercial nutella is not vegan, but it is very easy to make homemade vegan versions. I even made one here: http://bexysbakingblog.blogspot.ca/2014/02/homemade-vegan-nutella.html. You can also buy vegan versions. For world nutella day this year, I made these chocolate hazelnut bars. They are not made with actual nutella, but rather are made with the ingredients of nutella; chocolate and hazelnuts. This saves a step of making your own nutella, and also makes these bars vegan, gluten-free, and delicious!

Ferrero Rocher Bars
2 cups ground hazelnuts
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup maple syrup reduction
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegan caramel sauce
1 cup chopped hazelnuts
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350◦F. Line a 9x13 inch rectangular pan with parchment paper. Mix together the first five ingredients together well. Pour into the pan. Drizzle the caramel sauce over top. Sprinkle with the nuts and salt. Bake for about 30 minutes. The middle will still seem almost runny, but the edges will begin to look set. Do not try to cut these until they cool completely. I stuck my pan in the freezer before cutting to firm them up.

These squares turned out quite ooey gooey and sticky, but I LOVED the taste. My taste testers told me the taste just like those delicious Ferrero Rocher (chocolate hazelnut) chocolates, and I agree! A disclaimer: I came up with these bars on a whim, and really didn't measure ingredients. Therefore, I cannot guarantee the success of this recipe - it's really just estimates. Sometimes random experiments turn out the best, if you can get them to work out!!!

Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse

Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse
one cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated (white) sugar
1 1/3 cups ground hazelnuts
4 ounces dark chocolate, melted
1/4 cup coffee
2 cups whipping (35%) cream, whipped until stiff

Cream the butter to soften, then cream in the sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in the nuts, chocolate, and coffee. Fold in the whipped cream. Chill, or spread onto a cake, cookies, cupcakes, or wherever desired. It can also be chilled then scooped into a piping bag and piped.

For different flavor variations, use a different type of chocolate (milk, white, orange dark, etc.) and different varieties of coffees, and different ground nuts.

I used this mousse as the filling for my Charlotte Russe au Chocolat. I chilled it first to firm it up a bit, then spread it on the spongecake base.

Charlotte Russe Malakoff Au Chocolat

Here is the dessert I decided to make for the second European buffet. I wanted to do a dessert (of course, I would do a dessert everyday but I figure I should learn to do some savory foods as well and expand beyond my comfort zone, plus we have two days in each region), and I wanted to do something not so simple. Something extravagant that I had never done before. And what better for a dessert than something classical French.

I settled on making a Charlotte, something I had never made, seen, or eaten in person. For those unfamiliar, a Charlotte is a dessert, often classified as a cake, trifle, or icebox cake. There are, of course much like anything, many variations on this dessert. It consists of a base, either cookie, cake or bread used for lining the mold, and may also contain more layers of this. The filling is typically a mousse, custard, or gelatin. Charlottes may be decorated with fruit, additional cookies, chocolate, whipped cream, nuts, and more. There are several famous types of Charlottes. A Charlotte Russe, invented by Marie-Antoine Carme and named for famous royals, consists of Bavarian cream and ladyfingers; whereas a Charlotte Royale is lined with swiss roll instead.

I did not choose to do an exact, classical Charlotte version, but I got the base of my recipe from "The Art of French Cooking" book by Julia Child, so I figured it would be pretty authentic and successful.

I choose to use ladyfingers as my outside lining for the mold, a chocolate spongecake for the base, and Malakoff au chocolate for the filling, which is a chocolate almond mousse, but I substituted hazelnuts instead (because it reminds me of nutella). I decorated my Charlotte with chocolate whipped cream and dipped the ladyfingers in dark chocolate on one end and white chocolate on the other end.

My Charlotte did not turn out exactly as I had envisioned (just search the internet for pictures of 'Charlotte cake'. The main issue was the ladyfinger batter - I don't think the egg whites were quite stiff enough as the batter was too thin too pipe into the classic ladyfinger shape, so I ended up having to just spread it onto a sheet pan, bake it, then slice into rectangles. It doesn't give the same form of a classical Charlotte, but the taste is equivalent and I think my presentation is nice nevertheless.

Nutella Cake Truffles

Well, this post concludes my week's worth of Nutella breakfast posts. This is not a breakfast post, well, I didn't intend it to be one, but who am I to judge what people should and should not eat for breakfast? This was simply a small sweet treat I made which also incorporated nutella. They are nutella cake truffles. Cake truffles are not completely smooth and rich like typical chocolate truffles, usually made from simple mixtures such as chocolate and whipping cream and flavored as desired. Rather cake truffles have a slightly different texture and don't tend to be quite so rich - so you can eat more of them in one sitting. Cake truffles are as simple as they sound - cake rolled into truffles. You can simply use a piece of cake and just roll it up, but alternate methods are to use leftover cake pieces or cake crumbs and combine them with enough icing to stick into round balls. This gives soft, cake-like truffles that taste much like the cake from which they were made.

To make these truffles, I simply took one piece of chocolate cake with a mocha icing. I added a heaping spoonful of nutella, then rolled the mixture into six round truffles. This was pretty messy, as the truffles were softer than most cake truffles because I added lots of nutella instead of just using the frosting. An alternate method to make nutella truffles is to use nutella cake and/or nutella frosting if you have it on hand. Either way, cake truffles are easy, fool-proof, a good way to make use of leftover cake, and delicious - especially nutella-flavored!

Jumbo Nutella Cupcake

Here is the most chocolaty and decadent of my nutella breakfasts, and perhaps the most filling and satisfying as well.

Easiest Nutella Cupcakes
1/2 cup Nutella
1 large egg
5 Tablespoons whole wheat flour
Nutella for filling

In a small bowl, mix together the nutella, egg, and flour until well combined. Spread half of the batter into a large mug or ramekin, greasing it makes it slightly easier to remove the cupcake, but it may also be eaten directly from the dish. Place a dollop of nutella in the center of the batter. Spread remaining batter over top. At this point you can cook it immediately or place it in the fridge overnight if you want to do advance preparation. Microwave on HIGH (100% power) for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes until firm. Top with more nutella. Best when served warm, but can be cooled and removed from the mug for later. 

Nutella French Toast Towers

Nutella French Toast Towers
2 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 slices baguette (preferably not fresh)
Nutella
fruit and hazelnuts, to garnish

In a small, shallow dish, beat the eggs with the milk and vanilla. Place the bread slices in, let sit for 30 seconds, then flip. Ensure bread is well-soaked, then cover and refrigerate overnight. The bread will absorb nearly all the liquid overnight.
In the morning, heat a little oil in a small frying pan. Fry the baguette slices a few minutes per side until crisp and golden. Sandwich two pieces together with nutella, and garnish with fruit and hazelnuts. 

The third nutella, individual-serving warm breakfast idea!

Individual Nutella Bread Pudding

Here is the first addition to the week's worth of Nutella breakfasts. This is a warm and decadent breakfast bread pudding. Throw it together the night before, then just pop it in the microwave in the morning and enjoy a warm breakfast in just a couple of minutes. You can make this as chocolaty as you wish, using as much Nutella as you would like. I don't really measure the ingredients, just eyeball them. If you make a really chocolaty version, feel free to enjoy it for dessert instead!

Individual Nutella Bread Pudding
4-6 slices white baguette (preferably not fresh), depending on size
hazelnuts
dark chocolate chips
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
pinch ground cinnamon
1/4 cup Nutella

Tear the baguette into bite-sized pieces. Place in a mug and mix in as many hazelnuts and chocolate chips as you would like. 
In a small bowl, beat the egg, milk, cocoa, cinnamon, and half of the Nutella. Pour over bread. Refrigerate overnight.
To serve: top with remaining Nutella, then heat in the microwave on high (100% power) for about two minutes until firm and warm.

A Week's Worth of Nutella Breakfasts

Nutella - a smooth, decadent chocolate hazelnut spread. It is marketed as being "part of a nutritious breakfast'", but then again, what breakfast product isn't these days? Anything can be 'part' of a nutritious breakfast as long as the rest of the breakfast is balanced and nutritious and you don't binge on that item. That being said, Nutella isn't terrible - nuts are very nutritious, being naturally high in protein, fiber, and vitamins. They are however high in calories and fat (the good fats), especially concentrated nut butters. Natural nut butters with no additives are great breakfast spreads, and Nutella is full of Vitamin E rich hazelnuts. It also contains a touch of cocoa for added decadence and skim milk powder. Of course it also has added oil and sugar, which makes it not so good. But that doesn't stop me from incorporating it into my breakfasts.

This week I will be posting a week's worth of breakfasts with one common ingredient - Nutella. These have Nutella as the main ingredient - not just spread on the top. There are so many great ways to enjoy Nutella - here are a few ideas.

For today, this is not a breakfast per se (although it could be I suppose), but a quick Nutella idea. Gently warm a brownie in the microwave, then spread it with Nutella. Top it with a little ice cream or whipped cream if desired, then more Nutella.

Nutella Biscotti Sandwiches

Nutella Biscotti Sandwiches
1 1/2 Tablespoons ground flaxseed
1/3 cup warm water
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1/2 cup granulated (white) sugar
1/4 cup Nutella
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons all-purpose (plain) flour
1/2 Tablespoon baking powder

In a medium bowl, mix together the flax and water. Let sit for a few minutes. Beat in the oil, sugar, Nutella, and vanilla. Stir in the flours and baking powder. Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 12 inches long and 3 inches wide.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the dough on the sheet and bake and chill for 20 minutes. Bake at  375◦F for 25-30 minutes until lightly browned. 
Cool until cool enough to handle, then cut diagonally into 1/2 inch thick slices. Place cut-side up on baking sheet and bake for 5-10 minutes, flip over and bake 5-10 minutes more, until crisp and dry. Cool, then sandwich together with Nutella. 

Biscotti are crisp, twice-baked cookies just made for dunking. With this Nutella version, they are best dunked in a coffee or espresso, a chocolate tea, or hot chocolate - the Nutella will melt into it and make a double hot chocolate. Chocolate or regular milk would work as well, though hot beverages are best. This was another addition to my World Nutella Day spread!

Easiest Nutella Cupcakes

Tomorrow is World Nutella Day once again, and I have been preparing for it. Here is a sneak peek. Three ingredients, one delicious, chocolate-hazelnut taste. What could be easier? Top in so many ways - with additional Nutella, frosting, chopped nuts, chocolate chips, etc. You'll be enjoying a second one in less than an hour - one batch isn't enough. These are so fudgey and chocolaty, you won't believe how simple they are!

Easiest Nutella Cupcakes
1/2 cup Nutella
5 Tablespoons all-purpose (plain) flour
1 large egg
Nutella for filling
garnish, if desired (note: this will make this a four ingredient recipe)
I topped mine with little fudge brownie pieces

Mix all together well, then scoop half the batter into greased or lined muffin cups. Place a dollop (about 1/2 teaspoon) of Nutella in the middle of each. Cover with remaining batter. Top as desired. Bake at 350◦F for 20-25 minutes. A toothpick inserted in a section without Nutella filling will come out somewhat fudgey, but do not overbake as they firm up upon cooling and will become too firm. These are really good but also really messy warm. This is a really small batch and makes about 5-6 regular-sized cupcakes. You could make these into miniature cupcakes if desired, and decrease the baking time.
I drizzled mine with a little extra Nutella.

Nutella Sweet Bread

What if I told you you can have an amazing, warm, decadent breakfast (in bed) ready in just a few minutes? Well, of course it depends on having fresh bread made, but as a little secret, I will let you know that you can use bread from the freezer than has been thawed or a good quality sweet bread (not a sandwich loaf) from a bakery or store.

Here, I used a Hawaiian sweet bread, which is a round loaf with slits cut all around the outside of the ring to separate it. I cut the loaf in half for a smaller portion, then cut each rectangle horizontally to create a pocket or opening. I spread all of these openings filled with Nutella - sinful chocolate hazelnut spread. Then I wrapped the bread in foil and refrigerated overnight (optional, but convenient if you want to have everything ready to go in the morning, not that it takes long to prepare). In the morning, I popped the entire foil-wrapped package in the oven at 350◦F for about ten minutes or so until the bread was warm and slightly crisp. I then brushed the warm loaf with a little butter for shine, and served it spread with extra Nutella to go around! Quick and nothing fancy, but definitely a hit, and something a little special for breakfast. Round the meal out with some fresh fruit and a tall glass of milk.

Cake Breakfast Parfait

Who wouldn't want to eat chocolate cake for breakfast? I know I do, but I just cannot justify eating only a slice of sweet, frosted cake for breakfast. My breakfast have to be filling, nutritious, and incorporate all four food groups in order for me to start my day off right.

This breakfast parfait began with some leftover, healthier chocolate cake I had. This chocolate cake was soft and dense, almost like a brownie, and I had not frosted it. I sprinkled on some ground flaxseed and wheat germ for some added nutrition, then scooped on some thick, creamy plain Greek yogurt. Next I added a layer of fresh, sliced strawberries, and some whole hazelnuts. I repeated all of these layers, then drizzles the top with a little almond hazelnut butter. 

Apricot Hazelnut Oatmeal

So, you just moved in to a new place, you don't have all of your kitchen stuff unpacked yet, and you only bought a few groceries. What do you eat for breakfast? That is a good question! Here is my answer, though it does depend what ingredients you do have on hand, a bowl of oatmeal with a glass of milk is usually an easy option (if you have a microwave). This is oatmeal with ground flaxseed, ginger, dried apricots, and hazelnuts. A good balance of healthy whole grains, protein and beneficial fats from the nuts, dried fruit, and a dairy product if cooked with milk or enjoyed with a glass of milk! The enxt day's breakfast may be more extravagant...

Apricot Hazelnut Energy Bars

Apricot Hazelnut Energy Bars
500 grams dried apricots
2 cups boiling water
1 cup pitted dates
1 1/2 cups rolled oats, toasted if desired
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup hazelnuts, roasted if desired

In a medium-sized bowl, pour the water over the apricots and allow to soak and soften for at least eight hours. 
Line a 9x9 inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
In a food processor, purée the apricots and water with the dates until smooth. Transfer to a medium saucepan and boil over medium heat for about ten minutes, stirring often, until dry and very thick.
Add oats, salt, and spices and cook for about ten minutes more, until it becomes a stiff, solid mass. Fold in hazelnuts. 
Spread in prepared pan and allow to cool.

These are easy, no-bake energy bars with plenty of flavor and texture and lots of nutrition.
The fruit and nuts may be varied as desired, and a cup of chopped chocolate may be added along with the hazelnuts.
These bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one month.
Makes about sixteen bars. 

Nutella Milkshakes

Nutella Milkshakes
1 large frozen banana
heaping 1/4 cup Nutella (regular or homemade)
1/4 cup plain Greek Yogurt
1 Tablespoon skim milk powder (optional)
1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed
about 2 Tablespoons honey, optional (not needed if commercial Nutella is used)
1/2 -1 cup almond milk (depending on how thick you would like it)

Blend all together in a blender until smooth. Makes two servings.

This is my final entry for my Nutella Day posts. I don't post many drink recipes on here, but you definitely need a Nutella drink to go with all the Nutella sweets. I used my own homemade Nutella for this too, which worked well, but I did add a little honey for some sweetness. If the milk powder is left out and a different sweetener is used, these milkshakes could be vegan. Otherwise, regular milk may be used as well as soy milk or whatever type you would like. Use ice cream for something really decadent. This could be classified as either a milkshake or a smoothie, depending on how thick you make it. I recommend using a frozen banana for the best texture and to keep it colder. 

This is a very healthy recipe and also quite satisfying. Following this exact recipe, it contains about ten grams of protein per serving! Almond milk is actually very low in protein, so using soy or cow's milk instead would actually increase the amount of protein further.