All posts in Chocolate

Buckeye Candy (with a Hint of Cardamom)

By On November 15, 2010 In Candy, Chocolate, Desserts, Gluten-Free With 28 Comments Permanent Link to Buckeye Candy (with a Hint of Cardamom)Permalink

I was raised on the idea that: if you want a treat, you best learn how to make it yourself. And, if you want to learn how to make it correctly (or in other words: taste like my mom’s), you must follow the recipe exactly. The first part, I agree with- but the second part… bah. Not so.

Beginning when I was just fifteen I had started veganizing all of my mom’s, grandmother’s, aunts’ and cousins’ recipes out of an old box that my mom kept on the very top shelf of her highest kitchen cabinet (good thing I was one heck of a climber). Buckeye Candy*- popular here in the state of Ohio, where the magical buckeye trees flourish- is one of the first recipes I got my little vegan hands on.

I happen to think these vegan buckeye candies taste just as they should: incredibly unhealthy, rich and so so so delicious.

* I added the cardamom for extra yumminess, ’cause that’s how I roll.

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Chocolate Shortbread (gluten free)

By On November 5, 2010 In Chocolate, Cookies, Gluten-Free, Vegan Community With 18 Comments Permanent Link to Chocolate Shortbread (gluten free)Permalink

These are much like traditional shortbread, slightly crunchy and just a touch sweet. And they’re chocolatey.

Week 1 of VeganMofo is winding down… have you checked out all the awesome going on yet?!

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Chocolate Acorn Squash Baked Custard

By On October 6, 2010 In Baked Goods, Chocolate, Desserts, Gluten-Free, Pudding/Mousse, Veggies With 32 Comments Permanent Link to Chocolate Acorn Squash Baked CustardPermalink

I woke up this morning determined to create something wonderful with this little acorn squash that had been rolling around on my counter-top for the past few days.

After mixing up all of the ingredients,  I had no idea that I had just created my new favorite Autumn treat. I’m serious! This dessert tastes remarkably like a chocolate pumpkin pie, or a pot de créme,  or simply what it is: an awesome baked custard (no eggs or cream needed). And it’s so easy to make!

Creamy, rich, and chocolatey, I dare you to eat just one bite.

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Strawberries ‘n’ Cream Cupcakes & Ice Cream Maker Giveaway

By On September 24, 2010 In Cakes, Chocolate, Cupcakes, Desserts, Frostings and Icings, Gluten-Free, Vegan Community With 254 Comments Permanent Link to Strawberries ‘n’ Cream Cupcakes & Ice Cream Maker GiveawayPermalink

Today marks the one year birthday of Manifest Vegan!

I can’t even explain how fun and rewarding this past year has been. You guys are the best, seriously!

I have over 1000  subscribers to my feed already… thank all you so much! I look forward to many more years and many more recipes. But for now, I’ll spare you anymore of this mushy talk and get straight to the presents!

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Blackberry Brownies

By On July 27, 2010 In Baked Goods, Brownies, Chocolate, Desserts, Gluten-Free With 14 Comments Permanent Link to Blackberry BrowniesPermalink

This is more or less a simple brownie recipe with some blackberries sprinkled on top- but what a humdinger of a simple recipe it is!

It’s somewhere in between a “cakey” brownie and a “chewy” brownie.  And, while I admit that I generally prefer the chewy variety to the cakey variety… these are right up there with the best chewy brownies I have ever had. They’re soft and moist on the inside, while chewy and slightly crispy on the outside.

The blackberries are optional, but they add a really nice touch.

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Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

By On July 14, 2010 In Baked Goods, Chocolate, Cookies, Gluten-Free With 26 Comments Permanent Link to Double Chocolate Chip CookiesPermalink

Hiya all!  I’m back.

Well, truthfully I hadn’t gone anywhere. I have been sitting on my computer for the last week and a half trying my damn-dist to get this blog all fixed up. Unfortunately, my former webhost  had some  issues and both of my websites with that host were hacked. Fun.

It occurred while I was on my super fun mini vacation. My family enjoyed a quick getaway with my long time BFF from Philly and her fams.  It was a blast. Good eats, fireworks, my favorite people all in one place, swimming pools, and dogs galore.

But coming home to my website spewing out maliciousness was pretty horrible. :)

Needless to say, I had to do some major cleaning up, and I had to switch hosts… and it took a bit of time to do so.

But, no worries.  Everything is happy and secure and fresh and new, and I’ve brought along some extra chocolatey chip cookies. Or, at least the recipe.

It feels so good to be back up.

Whew.

Thank goodness for BFF’s from Philly who know how to fix broken websites. Thank goodness for my supportive hubs who spent all hours of every day working hard and freaking out along side of me, but doing a much better job of keeping his cool than I.  Thank goodness for puppies… for just being so darn cute and snuggly when I needed it the most.

And thank goodness for you understanding and wonderful readers. ♥

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Chocolate Raspberry Cake with “Anniversary” Glaze

By On June 23, 2010 In Baked Goods, Cakes, Chocolate, Desserts, Frostings and Icings, Gluten-Free With 40 Comments Permanent Link to Chocolate Raspberry Cake with “Anniversary” GlazePermalink

raspberry-chocolate-anniversary-cake-5

My hubs and I just celebrated our ♥ wedding anniversary ♥.  I made this raspberry chocolate cake for us to indulge in, along with a bottle of wine from our wedding. The cake (which has since been completely polished off) had a delicate crumb and fragrant ribbon of fresh raspberries and preserves in the middle of each slice. The “anniversary” glaze, a simple mix of red wine, confectioner’s sugar & coconut oil, made the cake extra special.

It turned out to be a really good cake.

Alright, it was better than good. It was amazing.

Flavorful. Excellent. Almost gourmet-ish.

My husband and I were devouring the leftovers of the glaze straight from the bowl. Even as I am writing this post, we keep talking about how stupid good that cake was. Maybe we are biased because it was our anniversary cake… but I have my doubts. :)

If anything, try using the just the glaze on something else: a cookie or scone, strawberries, a piece of toast, a spoon, anything! I recommend a shiraz or tempranillo blend (because I love them), but wine of any sort would be pretty good… even the super cheap stuff. The result of combining confectioner’ s sugar with wine creates a sweet (but tart) and classy coating that compliments the chocolate and raspberries with the utmost generosity.

I only managed to jot down my measurements for the cake. So, use your best judgment when making the filling and the glaze. The filling should be the consistency of a thick jam, and the glaze should be the consistency (before hardening) of Elmer’s glue. Yes, I’m serious.


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Double Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins (GF)

By On June 7, 2010 In Baked Goods, Chocolate, Gluten-Free With 23 Comments Permanent Link to Double Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins (GF)Permalink

vegan-and-gluten-free-muffins-4

Sometime last week, as I opened up my Google reader, I was greeted by this.

Is that not the most wonderful and genius muffin ever? It made me mad with muffin envy. Those bad boys just looked so damn good I set myself a goal to make muffins ASAP. I wanted to de-glutenize Mihl’s version, but I had no Dandies or cranberries. Plus, I really suck at looking at/using other people’s recipes. I pretty much never follow them as written. Admittedly, when I look at all the other fabulous food blogs out there, I skim over the whole “recipe” part and get right to the photos.  Look again… you know you want to.

But, back to the issue at hand…

Before I started to even preheat my oven, I realized that I hadn’t yet created a gluten-free version of my own chocolate muffins. Naturally, I decided to nip that problem right in the bud. I started by making a simple chocolate muffin that accompanied our family on a long hike this weekend. By round two, I had created the muffin monstrosity pictured above.

I also happened to pick up some Dandies at the grocery this past weekend while we were out in “the big city” gorging on ridiculously huge and ever-so-tasty dosai (plural? for dosa).  It all made for a pretty spectacular weekend.

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Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Coconut Candy

By On May 14, 2010 In Candy, Chocolate, Desserts, Gluten-Free With 15 Comments Permanent Link to Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Coconut CandyPermalink

coconut peanut butter candy

Yes, the title is a mouthful, but seriously, so is this candy.  Lots of flavors going on in these babies: coconut, chocolate, peanut butter, and even a hint of vanilla.

Shredded coconut is one of those foods that most people either cannot get enough of, or cannot stand. I fall in between the two: I love it, but only in moderation.

Today, though, there is some major coconut love going around. As I was importing my photos for this post, I noticed that Susan from Rawmazing had created almost the exact same thing!  Except she left out the refined sugar, added strawberries, and she didn’t cook anything. Okay, so not exactly the same.  And Tasha, from The Voracious Vegan made this insanely delicious looking dessert using coconut milk.

Anyways, these candies are ridiculously easy to make if you have a candy thermometer. They are a tad trickier if you don’t, but still easy. If you are a coconut fan… give these a whirl. Try them without the chocolate too. I really enjoy them both ways.

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Chocolate Brownie Chunk Mousse

By On May 11, 2010 In Brownies, Chocolate, Gluten-Free, Pudding/Mousse With 25 Comments Permanent Link to Chocolate Brownie Chunk MoussePermalink

chocolate brownie mousse

Today, in my part of the world, the weather is rainy. Which means:

A) a great photo opportunity (because the lighting is ridiculously perfect for shooting food)

&

B) a good reason to eat a lot of chocolate.

And so, I came up with this chocolate brownie mousse.

This dessert is not for someone looking for a light dessert to satisfy a chocolate craving.  Noooo no no.  This mousse is over-the-top loaded down with sweet chocolatey goodness.

It is best savored in small dishes that have been chilled along with the mousse.

Devour at your own risk.

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Chocolate Twirly Doodle Cookies (GF)

By On April 27, 2010 In Baked Goods, Chocolate, Cookies, Desserts, Gluten-Free With 11 Comments Permanent Link to Chocolate Twirly Doodle Cookies (GF)Permalink

chocolate gluten free vegan cookies

The name says it all.

Okay, maybe not.  But they are chocolatey, and twirly… and “doodle” just sounded nice with the rest.  And, seriously, what kind of cookie with a “doodle” at the end doesn’t taste good?

These cookies are my first experiment using sorghum flour, and I must say, I am pretty impressed.  It seemed to work a lot like buckwheat, but was a touch lighter in color and in taste.

With this new promising flour, I decided to try my hand at some rolled cookies.  And, when it worked out almost effortlessly, I decided to roll them again… with a little chocolate sugar inside.

The results were even better than I expected, with a taste, texture and (a word that has been abuzz lately, and I [childishly] find pretty funny) “mouthfeel” like typical AP flour cookies.

They are soft and flavorful with a hint of almond flavor, and they definitely give me the confidence to try out new and exciting ways to manipulate GF dough.

For all of you readers who still like your baked goods glutinous, I would assume you could sub out AP or whole wheat flour where I used the different flours/xanthan combo.  I say this because I used my favorite sugar cookie recipe as a starting point.  You may need to add a smidgen more flour to make it stiff and rollable… but I think it should work out okay. :)

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Cinnamon Brownie Cookies ~ Gluten Free

By On April 9, 2010 In Brownies, Chocolate, Cookies, Desserts, Gluten-Free With 20 Comments Permanent Link to Cinnamon Brownie Cookies ~ Gluten FreePermalink

gluten free cinnamon brownie cookies

These cookies are a fabulous way to enjoy the combination of cinnamon and chocolate.  I called them “brownie” cookies because of their awesome texture: crispy on the outside and nice and chewy in the middle.  To me, they taste just like little cinnamon brownie bites.

Yum.

They also make your kitchen smell heavenly while they are baking.

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Chocolate Avocado Banana Bread

By On March 12, 2010 In Baked Goods, Chocolate, Gluten-Free, Quick Breads With 28 Comments Permanent Link to Chocolate Avocado Banana BreadPermalink

chocolate avocado banana bread

This is a fun twist on an old favorite.  I have been making this recipe for years and it always turns out perfectly. In fact, I’m pretty sure this was the first recipe I came up with “all by myself”.  :)

To make it gluten-free, I just subbed out a few different flours where I usually used all-purpose flour.  Feel free to re-glutenize it by subbing the 2 cups of AP flour back in, and leave out the xanthan gum.

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Vegan Star Crunch!

By On March 5, 2010 In Candy, Chocolate, Cookies, Desserts, Gluten-Free With 19 Comments Permanent Link to Vegan Star Crunch!Permalink

vegan star crunch

As a child, did you ever love a food so much that you would risk the wrath of your huge and terrifying older brother to sneak the last one?

The other day my husband and I were reminiscing about childhood junkfood favorites, and I remembered how much I desperately loved Little Debbie Star Crunches.  I had a sick obsession with these things.  This most likely caused me to block all thoughts of them from my memory after I went vegan. Once my memory was triggered, though, I became dead set on the idea of making them myself.  I needed a way to once again enjoy the taste/texture of the individually wrapped treats that I used to stash everywhere: lunchbox, pocket, fridge, freezer, bookbag, dresser drawer.  It was kinda out of control.

I loved them primarily because of their gooey and crispy and hard to explain texture… which oddly enough gave them most of their flavor.  I think sans the strange texture of a Star Crunch, we would be left with pretty much just  “sweet”.

To recreate these things I needed a great filler, because the crispy rice and chocolate part is easy.  The answer was the Medjool date!  Dates are absolutely magical… I am super happy to have discovered the many uses of them.

These cookies are definitely close enough to an actual Star Crunch to satisfy my craving… without the long list of creepy ingredients and eternal shelf life.

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Garam Masala Cookies

By On February 23, 2010 In Baked Goods, Chocolate, Cookies, Desserts, Gluten-Free With 10 Comments Permanent Link to Garam Masala CookiesPermalink

garam masala cookies

A little unconventional maybe– but pretty delicious for a last minute pantry raid.  What I like best about these cookies is their texture– they are thin and chewy and crispy all at once.  The flavor is, well, flavorful!

Since Garam Masala varies— I cannot guarantee that your cookies will taste just like my photo. :)  Mine was a blend of coriander, cardamom, black cumin, cinnamon, celery, black pepper, allspice, cloves and anise.  Each one of those spices had a special place in these cookies.  A touch of cocoa really tops them off.  Spicy, sweet and kind of chocolatey- could you really ask for anything more?

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