Behind-the-Scenes with Mini Melanie
Ingredients:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup whole milk
2 cups granulated sugar
Step 1: Make the jam. In a 2 quart pot, add in the blackberries, 1 cup granulated sugar, orange zest and orange juice. Turn the heat to medium low and stir for 10 to 15 minutes, until bubbling and thick and jam-like in consistency. Take off the heat and set aside.
Step 4: Preheat oven to 350F. Scoop the cookie dough with a tablespoon and roll into balls. Roll into granulated sugar then into confectioners sugar. Place onto a parchment-lined baking tray.
Step 5: Bake for 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and make a divet on the top of the cookie - spoon in jam. Return to the oven and bake 5 to 7 minutes more, until crackled and puffed up.
yield: one 8 inch round cake
Ingredients for the cake:
2 eggs
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups diced apple
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
Ingredients for the frosting:
(1) 14 ounce can full fat coconut cream (put in freezer for two hours or refrigerate overnight)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon maple syrup
For the cake:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray your baking pan with baking spray.
2. In a large bowl, crack the eggs and whisk until broken up. Add in coconut oil, applesauce, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
3. Stir together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
5. Fold in the apples and pour into the prepared pan.
6. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean. The cake will be puffed up and may crack a bit on top and will pull away from the sides of the pan.
7. Let cake cool completely before frosting.
For the frosting:
1. Place the chilled coconut cream into an electric mixer with the whisk attachment or use a handheld mixer. Whisk well until it resembled whipped cream. 2. Add in the vanilla and maple syrup on low speed until just combined.
3. Frost the cake with the coconut cream and serve.
To make these mini pies, we use our amazing (though secret) pie dough. It's made with almond flour and is very crisp and delicious. We have many tarts on our catering menu. Purchase a sleeve of Pillsbury pie dough to make these tasty, adorable pies at home. They're fun busy work for kids - to shape the dough into the mini muffin tins, and to do the lattice work.
Ingredients for the strawberry filling (or use any berry filling you like):
16 ounces fresh strawberries, small diced
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Preheat your oven to 350F.
2. Cut 2 inch circles out of rolled out pie dough, rolled 1/4 inch thick.
3. Spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray and place the circles of dough into the mini muffin pan, adhering to the sides of the pan.
4. Bake the mini pie shells in the oven for 4 minutes until light brown.
5. Toss the berries in sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, and lemon juice.
6. Fill the shells, once removed from the oven, with the berry mixture, until just filled under the top.
7. Using a Wilton lattice cutter, cut lattice and arrange on the cooled pie shells.
9. Bake at 350F for 8 to 10 minutes until the berries are bubbling a bit and the crust is baked and golden brown.
For the vanilla pastry cream:
1 1/2 cups milk / coconut milk / almond milk
1/4 cup sugar, divided into two bowls
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1. In a 2 quart pot, heat up the milk with 1/8 cup sugar and the vanilla extract until warm to the touch.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, cornstarch, salt, and flour. Add some of the milk into the egg mixture, whisking well.
3. Add the egg mixture into the pot with the milk.
4. Bring to a simmer, whisking well until the mixture is bubbling and thick and looks like pudding.
5. Add in butter off of the heat and stir until it's melted in.
6. Refrigerate the pastry cream until it's cooled down.
To assemble your banana puddings, layer the cooled pudding with chopped up graham crackers or vanilla wafer cookies, whatever you prefer. With layers of cookie, pudding, then banana - repeated in any glass or container of your choice. Serve chilled.
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter (or substitute cashew butter / almond butter)
1/3 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons coconut oil (1 tablespoon reserved for dipping mixture)
2 1/2 cups rice krispies (or brown rice krispies)
1 cup chocolate chips
1. Prepare an 8 inch springform pan with pam spray and a parchment circle at the bottom.
2. Place the peanut butter, maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla into a saute pan that's about 9 inches wide by 3 inches tall.
3. Melt on low heat until smooth.
5. Pour the rice krispies into the prepared pan and freeze for 30 minutes or until chilled and firm enough to slice.
6. Pop the rice krispy out of the pan and slice into desired shapes.
7. Melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil together in the microwave until smooth. Dip the rice krispies into the melted chocolate mixture, top with sea salt if desired, and serve. The chocolate will set on the krispy within minutes.
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3. Add the sugars into the bananas, and whisk. Next, add the eggs, milk, and vanilla, and whisk until combined.
4. Stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Pour all of the dry ingredients into the banana mixture and mix until just combined. Add in the melted butter and mix until combined.
5. Add in the strawberries, oats, and pecans - or whatever you'd like to add in!
6. Spray a loaf pan and place a rectangle of parchment inside the tin.
7. Pour in the batter and bake for 45 minutes to one hour, until a cake tester or a knife comes out clean. Cool before slicing.
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2. In a medium bowl, mix coconut milk and vanilla extract into sweet potato, stirring until combined.
3. In a small bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together with a whisk.