Raspberry

Entries Tagged as 'raspberry'

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Espresso Scones

11.12.2012

Morning, Morning! Let’s start out by having me fill you in on a few things, shall we? If you are an avid read of VV then you may have noticed the inconsistency of VVs’ regular columns as of lately (Moody Mondays, Searchable Saturdays, etc). This is because this whole redesign has triggered us stepping back and re-evaluating our style around here. As I was updating the Recipes/Archives page (man, I’m only about 1/5 done with putting in our back catalog of recipes! HTML is a TEDIOUS process…), I noticed that a lot of the pictures were all over the place and VV does not necessarily have a specific ‘style’ ~~or ‘branding’ technique~~ (does branding sound too official? Yeah, I think so too. Maybe this is all just an excuse for me to start another pinterest board…). So, as I spend more time on the redesign of VV, I am also going to try to develop more of a signature style/aesthetic. This may mean eliminating some regular columns or adding some or doing the exact same thing we have always done around VV [who knows at this point? I certainly don't]. Anyhow, just wanted to fill you guys in on all the shifting happening around here.

Oh! One last thing, tomorrow is the last day to sign up for the Country Crock Giveaway so don’t forget to hop on over and leave a comment. I mean, let’s be real, who DOESN’T want free kitchen bake ware?!

______________________________

Saturday I woke up to the sun shining through the blinds, a warm breeze, and the birds (!!!) chirping. This morning, I woke up to pitch black and snow. What. Is. Going. On?! I’m not complaining about being able to hang out at the lake in November but my body is in shock. All that sun-induced serotonin needs a replacement ASAP or else I might find the winter blues coming early this year. Answer to it be being cloudy? Chocolate. Answer to it being coldy and cold? Dark Chocolate with raspberry chunks. Answer to it being cloudy, cold, and snowy? Dark Chocolate Raspberry Espresso Scones lathered in butter. Check.

These little scones are the answer to any weather-induced-bummer-mood. They are warm, speckled with caffeine, and bursting with chunks of chocolate/raspberry. I feel like I don’t even need to say anything else. But if I really must, they are so flaky and buttery that they even melt in your mouth when fresh from the oven.

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Espresso Scones

2 cups all purpose flour
3 Tablespoons sugar (+ more for sprinkling on top)
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground espresso
6 Tablespoons butter, chilled
3 ounces of dark chocolate with raspberry chunks (or any flavor you like), chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup Almond milk (any milk will do)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used my homemade kind)

Preheat oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and espresso. Cut the butter into the dry mixture until it resembles coarse meal (I just use my hands to do this and work the butter between my finger tips until everything is combined). Next, fold in the chocolate.

In a small bowl (or just use the measuring cup you poured the milk into), whisk together the milk, egg, and vanilla.

Make a well in the center of the dried ingredients and pour wet ingredients in. Fold dry into wet until everything is combined (don’t over mix!).

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about an inch thick (make it thinner if you like them crispier and thicker if you like them big and fluffy – just keep it consistent with whatever you do!) and use a biscuit cutter to cut circular shapes. Place on the prepared parchment paper and repeat with the rest of your dough. Sprinkle the top with coarse sugar.

Cook for about 20 minutes or until the top has browned.

Serve warm with butter or jam or by themselves while watching the snow fall.

Raspberry Arnold Palmer

8.16.2012

And I’m back with another cocktail recipe (did you try the Vanilla Champagne Peach Punch or the Blueberry Limeade Cocktail yet?). I looked into this ‘Arnold Palmer’ business and I think that this drink’s proper name might be a ‘John Daly’ because it has alcohol in it…but who has ever heard of a John Daly? I am sticking with Arnold Palmer whether it’s proper or not. End of discussion.

Anyhow, this drink was inspired from two every different summer experiences. The first was I received a lovely 4 pack of Pure Leaf Tea in the mail the other week which have just been sitting on my counter itchin’ to be experimented with. This tea is not only oh so delicious but it’s made from all-nature ingredients and contains no preservatives (how ideal is that?). The second is that Wyatt has been obsessed with those dollar gas station Arnold Palmer drinks. Honestly, I loved the idea of mixing lemonade and ice tea but those gas station drinks were not doing it for me (and neither were there dozens and dozens of grams of sugar). So…as usual, I decided I would just make my own.

This cocktail can obviously become a virgin cocktail by omitting the rum but honestly the raspberry rum really adds an extra level of deliciousness. This cocktail is the perfect refresher after a long day that won’t leave you feeling overwhelmingly full [helloooo beer] and tastes like summer in a glass.

Raspberry Arnold Palmer

1/2 part Pure Leaf Sweet Tea
1/2 part organic lemonade (fresh or store-bought)

+ 1 ounce raspberry rum (I used Bacardi Razz)
+ fresh raspberries, for garnish

In a fancy cocktail glass, pour even amounts of both lemonade and Pure Leaf Sweet Tea. Add in a few raspberries, ice, and a shot of rum.

Perhaps even garnish with mint (if you are into that kind of thing) and enjoy on your porch with your favorite puppy.

Bakery Style Berry Muffins

3.28.2012

And so continues my desire for summer food! This recipe is great though because it’s like a fake summer recipe…you use frozen berries so that they hold their shape and color while you fold them into the batter. It’s great because you can go into this recipe knowing that it will turn out fantastic regardless of what season it is.

I had to race out of bed this morning in order to get a picture of these fluffy muffins before my roommates gobbled all of them up. These muffins are “bakery style” so they puff up way past the top of the tin and stay super moist and flavorful because of the yogurt in them (and smell up the whole kitchen with berry baking goodness!)

This recipe is adapted from Isa’s Vegan Brunch; it’s one of the first recipes I discovered when diving into vegan baking and it really hooked me. I believe strongly in the idea that vegan baked goods stay moist longer and manage to pack more flavor with their slightly dense texture. I suggest this recipe (and Isa!) for anyone who does not have much vegan baking experience but is ready to learn!

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup natural cane sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup soy greek yogurt (I used blueberry flavored and it turned out great!)
1/2 cup nondairy milk
1/2 cup canola oil
2 cups frozen mixed berries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease a 12 cup muffin tin.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the yogurt, milk, and oil. Use a spatula to mix everything together until a smooth batter forms. Fold in the berries.

Scoop the batter into the muffin tins (just the 12- it should fill most of each tin so that they will rise to be big, bakery style muffins). Bake for 23 to 25 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Serve with butter or eat them by themselves for the rest of the weeks breakfast!

Marbled Parfait with a Raspberry Brownie Goat Cheese Filling

2.24.2012

Woah, that is a mouthful. It’s needed though- all those ingredients stick out so much in every bit that I would feel guilty not letting you know what you are in for. The salty goat cheese counteracts that brownie so well that they are an [odd] match made in heaven. Plus, anything with goat cheese is amazing. Right?

I should probably admit that I’m delusional to think that this is a “healthier” version of dessert but this was an attempt at some sort of weird compromise. I love parfait for dessert because they are light and sweet but not too sweet. Wyatt loves chocolate and ice cream and anything with more calories than is supposed to be consumed in a week. SOO I made this thinking it would satisfy both of our needs…but to be completely honest, this is for no one on a diet or watching their calories. It’s rich and indulgent in the best way possible.

I would imagine you could probably even top this with ice cream instead of granola. And replace the raspberries with strawberries or blueberries or whatever you’d like. Get creative…that’s the best part about baking!

Marbled Raspberry Brownie Goat Cheese Filling:

Brownie Part:

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Goat Cheese Filling:

1 cup raspberries
8 ounces goat cheese, room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Other things to put in the parfait:

granola
more fruit
greek yogurt
honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×9 baking dish. In a large bowl, mix together the shortening, sugar, and vanilla. Next, beat in the eggs. Then add the rest of the dry ingredients and fold until well incorporated. Pour into prepared baking pan.

In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese and goat cheese together. Next, cream the butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla until well blended. Fold in the raspberries (I crushed them a little bit on purpose so that they would bleed some pretty marbled red into the mix). Pour on top of the brownie mix.

Cook for 30 minutes or until it starts to brown on the top. Let cook for at least ten minutes then prepare your parfait with whatever fixins’ you’d like. Don’t worry if the brownie mixture is gooey because that helps it blend well with the other parfait ingredients.

Mmmmm, gooey goodness. Don’t share with your puppy but feel free to share with your roommates!