Use this recipe for making different cakes or cookies

 ב"ה

It's been a while since I've added a recipe. I think we all have had a weird year. Mine started last year when my Mom died. Then my Dad died (it was less than 7 months apart). 

So I was living alone for over a year (starting last June, when my Mom was moved to a nursing home), something that I was not at all used to. So adding to my recipe blog somehow got lost in the shuffle. 

I still develop new recipes and perfect old recipes. 

This is one recipe I've been using for several desserts. It can be used for a cake (loaf pan or 8X8 pan) or cookies. It can be used for different flavored cakes and/or cookies.

I take 1/2 cup each of almond and coconut flours. I add 1/2 - 1 teaspoon powdered stevia (this is about the equivalent of 1-2 cups of sugar/syrup etc.), then I add 1/4 cup ground chia (this is an optional ingredient) and/or a tablespoon of powdered psyllium (not the husks) --  also optional. Add about 1 cup creamy peanut butter (I use 365 -- the whole foods store brand -- Organic Creamy Peanut Butter Spread -- unsweetened, of course) and about 1 cup of unsweetened Vanilla coconut "milk" (if you need more, add it slowly, like a tablespoon at a time, until it's the consistency of cookie dough or cake batter, depending on what you're making). I have a standing mixer and it mixes it better -- just be careful it doesn't splash -- but I can also mix it with a spoon. 

Add whatever flavoring you want -- one small to medium lemon (grated zest) for lemon, extract to taste for vanilla, 1/8-1/4 cup of cacao powder (or cocoa) for chocolate, 1/2 cup mini-chocolate chips (I use Luv stevia sweetened chips -- I'm only able to get them in cold weather on Amazon) for chocolate chips (with or without chocolate), also, 1/4 cup chopped walnuts and/or pecans in the chocolate chip version (or by themselves for nut cake or cookies) -- add maple extract/flavoring if you like. 

If you are making a cake, like a loaf or 8X8 cake pan with parchment paper (so that your food isn't touching aluminum) and put the batter in the pan, spreading it to fit the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 1/2 hour (the loaf cake might need more baking time if it's thicker). If you are making cookies, shape the dough into rounds (the size you like) and place them on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 1/2 hour. (Check them after about 20 minutes to preventing burning -- then 5 minutes more each time it needs more baking). You can also make muffins (lining muffin tins with parchment muffin liners) using the cake batter. You can take the lemon base and put in blueberries or other small bits of fruit (or berries) and make blueberry or mango or apple or whatever muffins. 

For cakes of cupcakes (same as muffins but with an icing), the icing recipe:

1 cup organic raw cashews
coconut milk (or other non-dairy milk) to cover the cashews
1/2 teaspoon stevia
flavoring (see above) 

Put it all together in a strong blender and blend until it's all liquified --- add "milk" if it's too thick, add cashews if it's too thin and whirr around again.

My best keto vegan "bread" yet

ב"ה

I'm a life member of the Vegetarian Resource Group so I get the Vegetarian Journal. In the past issue, they had a recipe for rolled buns.

The recipe included a regular dough and a gluten-free dough recipe. The Gluten Free Dough still had ingredients I can't eat (not keto friendly, so to speak or trans fats -- like margarine). So I substituted. Here is the recipe I developed (I used it for the cake -- rolled up cakes -- and for "bread" without the sweet filling):

I took 2 1/2 cups plain coconut "milk" (not the canned stuff -- the kind that's in the vegan "milk" section in containers) and put in 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. I also added a pinch of stevia powder. (If you are making cake with the dough, add another 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of powdered stevia. If you're making "bread" don't add more stevia -- it's sweet enough between the coconut flour and stevia in the yeast.) I heated the "milk" until it didn't feel cold or hot on my skin (if it was too hot, I let it cool until it was "there" -- better to be a bit too cold than a bit too hot -- the heat will kill the yeast) -- then I poured in one packet of yeast and gave it some time to bubble (making sure to get the yeast wet without stirring -- push the yeast down rather than stirring).

I then put together the dry ingredients -- 2 3/4 cups to 3 cups coconut flour and 1/2 cup almond flour, 2 tablespoon powdered psyllium husks, 1/4 cup ground chia seeds (I can't use flax seeds), 2 teaspoons aluminum free baking powder, and a tablespoon of konjac starch.

I stir the dry ingredients and checked on the "milk" and yeast. If it looks like it's growing, then you're ready to put it into the dry ingredients and mix it all together into a dough.

If I'm making the cake, I made a sweet filling (cinnamon, coconut oil, stevia mixture simmered in a frying pan until blended -- spread this on rolled out dough then sprinkle chopped pecans and/or walnuts -- or a sweet cream cheese filling (one container of vegan cream cheese -- I use kite hill) with a bit of cinnamon, stevia, some grated citrus zest and chopped pecans and/or walnuts, etc.

If I'm making "bread" I make the dough into whatever shape I want -- bagels, small loaves, I even did a small braided Halla (bread for Shabbat -- the Sabbath), though that was less successful in staying together.

PS -- I forgot to mention that once you make the dough, let it rise (it won't rise much, but it does help the texture. Last week, I let it rise (covered with a towel sitting on top of the freezer) overnight.) I also forgot to mention that you bake it about 30 or so minutes in a 350 or so degree (Fahrenheit) (I think that's about 175 Celsius) oven. When you make the cake, roll out the dough (between two pieces of parchment paper), spread the filling (your choice) leaving about 1/2 inch on each edge, then roll it up (using the paper if you need it -- it should be loosely rolled, not tightly, like a fruit roll-up), pinch the edges, spray with a bit of coconut or olive oil, pre-cut into 6-12 slices (it's not hard to cut) -- the ones I had were pretty much wide and flat -- reminded me of my late Mom's roll cake back in the days when she still baked for the holidays.

For the bread -- make into loaves, rolls, bagels, even Halla (though it's hard to braid because the "ropes" are thick). I haven't tried boiling bagels yet -- I'll let you know how they come out if I try it tonight. Lay them on parchment paper lined cookie sheets and spray with olive or coconut oil (or brush with liquid coconut oil) and bake about 30 or so minutes  in a 350 or so degree (Fahrenheit) oven.

Oh, Fudge!

ב"ה

I made a very quick fudge -- I used a can of coconut milk (the high fat variety, not the "stuff" in a carton), about 1/2 cup liquid coconut oil (I avoid the solid kind to some degree because the liquid doesn't have a strong coconut taste and that taste makes my stomach queasy), 2 Tablespoons cacao powder, 1/2 to 3/4 of a teaspoon stevia powder, and other flavors (I used 1/2 teaspoon maple extract, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 2 Tablespoons each of chopped walnuts and chopped pecans). I put it all together in a pot and cooked it all together until blended and thickened a bit. I put it all in a parchment lined aluminum load pan and into the freezer. (It's still in the freezer right now.)

I did taste what was left in the pot and it was delicious.