Salted Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats

Rice Krispie Treats used to be one of my favorite desserts.  They’re so easy to make and they’re delicious.

These are the perfect snack for adults AND kids.  They’re like the sophisticated version of regular Rice Krispie Treats, but they’re still fun and easy to make.

Salted Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats
Smitten Kitchen 
Makes 16 2-inch squares or 32 1- x 2-inch small bars

Ingredients:
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 10-ounce bag marshmallows
Heaping 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal (about half a 12-ounce box)

Directions:

1. Butter (or coat with non-stick spray) an 8-inch square cake pan with 2-inch sides.
2. In a large pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. It will melt, then foam, then turn clear golden and finally start to turn brown and smell nutty. Stir frequently, scraping up any bits from the bottom as you do. Don’t take your eyes off the pot as while you may be impatient for it to start browning, the period between the time the butter begins to take on color and the point where it burns is often less than a minute.
3. As soon as the butter takes on a nutty color, turn the heat off and stir in the marshmallows. The residual heat from the melted butter should be enough to melt them, but if it is not, turn it back on low until the marshmallows are smooth.
4. Remove the pot from the stove and stir in the salt and cereal together. Quickly spread into prepared pan. I liked to use a piece of waxed or parchment paper that I’ve sprayed with oil to press it firmly and evenly into the edges and corners, though a silicon spatula works almost as well. Drizzle with chocolate, if you’d like.
5. Let cool, cut into squares.

The Best Cinnamon Rolls

I’m always looking for the most ethical way to make the food I love.  Minimalist Baker has been the best resource for doing so.  She posts the most amazing recipes and most of them are vegan/vegetarian.  I highly recommend her blog!

A couple of weeks ago my nieces came to visit and I wanted to make something vegan that non-vegan/vegetarians would love. I knew Minimalist Baker wouldn’t let me down, so I searched for a cinnamon roll recipe (because who doesn’t love cinnamon rolls?!) and got to baking. I won’t lie, my expectation for these was low, but I trucked on anyway and they came out of the oven so fluffy and aromatic.  They were SO GOOD and only took about 1 1/2 hours to make from start to finish.

MAKE THESE, seriously!

The Best Cinnamon Rolls
This recipe is from: The Minimalist Baker

Ingredients

• 1 packet instant (or rapid rise) yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
• 1 cup (240 ml) unsweetened plain almond milk (if you use dairy products, you can substitute milk)
• 1/2 cup (112 g) Earth balance (vegan butter), divided (if you use dairy products, you can substitute butter)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 cups (408 g) unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp (63 g) organic cane sugar, divided

Directions

1. In a large sauce pan (or in a bowl in the microwave at 30 sec increments), heat the almond milk and 3 Tbsp Earth Balance until warm and melted, never reaching boiling. Remove from heat and let cool to 110 degrees F (43 C), or the temperature of bath water. It should be warm but not too hot or it will kill the yeast.
2. Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl and sprinkle on yeast. Let activate for 10 minutes, then add 1 Tbsp sugar and the salt and stir.
3. Next add in flour 1/2 cup (68 g) at a time, stirring as you go. The dough will be sticky. When it is too thick to stir, transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for a minute or so until it forms a loose ball. Rinse your mixing bowl out, coat it with your choice of oil, and add your dough ball back in. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size (see photo).
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a thin rectangle. Brush with 3 Tbsp melted Earth Balance and top with 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 – 1 Tbsp cinnamon (to taste).
5. Starting at one end, tightly roll up the dough and situate seam side down. Then with a serrated knife or a string of floss, cut the dough into 1.5 – 2 inch sections and position in a well-buttered 8×8-inch square or comparable sized round pan (you should have about 10 rolls). Brush with remaining 2 Tbsp Earth Balance (melted) and cover with plastic wrap. Set on top of the oven to let rise again while you preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C).
6. Once the oven is hot, bake rolls for 25-30 minutes or until slightly golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes and then serve immediately.
7. Optional: Frost with a simple mixture of 1 cup (112 g) organic powdered sugar and 1-2 Tbsp (15-30 ml) almond milk.

 

Date and Apricot “Brownie” Balls

For having a blog called “What Katie’s Baking,” I haven’t been doing much baking.  But, I’ve made a ton of amazing recipes lately, including a lot of tasty desserts (I won’t post the disgusting chocolate ice cream I tried making… fail).

My favorite thing about vegan desserts is how incredibly simple and healthy they (typically) are.  I’m amazed at how many good ones there are out there. I love being able to eat dessert for breakfast!

Date and Apricot “Brownie” Balls
Adapted from: Snack-Girl

Ingredients:
10 pitted dates
10 dried apricots
½ cup cashews
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (plus extra for rolling)
1 tablespoon agave nectar (or honey depending on your view on the bees ;))
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
2 tablespoons water

Directions:
1. Add all ingredients to food processor and pulse until ground.
2. Mix until it just forms a sticky mass.
3. Form dough into balls. (It may need more water to get to the perfect consistency).
4. Put a tablespoon of cocoa in a shallow bowl .
5. Roll balls in cocoa. (or just drop the balls straight into the cocoa can like me)
6. I like to store these in the freezer and eat them frozen…yum! Or you can keep them in the fridge for up to 1-2 weeks.

Raw Vegan Lavender Lemon Cheesecake

My beautiful friend recommended this recipe to me and gave it rave reviews.  I’m a huge lavender fan and it looked too good to be true, so I made it!

I liked it so much, I came home every day after work and had a piece until it was gone (which only took 5 days).  It tastes delicious and refreshing and I felt SO GOOD eating it because it’s so healthy.  I will say it’s less of a cheesecake flavor and more of a frozen yogurt-y flavor.

Also, this is an expensive recipe, but it’s worth it.  I’m starting to realize that I would rather spend more money on high quality ingredients and spend more time making things that taste good and are healthy for me.

So, here it is, from This Rawsome Life…

Raw Vegan Lavender Lemon Cheesecake
This Rawsome LifeIngredients:

Crust:

1/2 cup dates

1 1/2 cups nuts (I used soaked walnuts and almonds)

Cheesecake:

3 cups cashews (preferably soaked for 3-4 hours)

3/4 cup lemon juice

2/3 cup honey/agave/maple syrup

3/4 cup melted coconut oil

1 teaspoon salt

1-3 teaspoons dried lavender  (depends on how much you like lavender; I used 3)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract/seeds from 1/2 vanilla pod

Directions: 

1. Surround the inside of a cake pan with wax paper or plastic wrap. Process dates and nuts together until you get a rough, sticky mixture that you can pat down with your hands into the bottom of the cake pan. Do so. Set in fridge.

2. Blend all ingredients together until smooth and creamy. (I used a food processor and blended for about 10 minutes.  My friend said she ended up blending for 15!)
3. Pour onto crust in cake pan and set in the freezer or fridge until it has the hardness you want (probably 3-5 hours or overnight). Take out of cake pan holding the wax paper or plastic wrap and put on your favorite plate.
4. Slice and enjoy.

Protein Powder Granola

The new year has already started off wonderfully!  I just celebrated my birthday yesterday with some of my favorite people, my job is still amazing, yoga still rocks, and I continue to meet and be surrounded by positive, inspiring people!

I’ve been struggling with the direction of my blog lately because one of my resolutions for the year, after reading The Happy Vegan by Russell Simmons, is to eat less dairy.  Plus, this goes along with the yoga principle of “ahimsa,” meaning “compassion” and “not to injure.”  We shall see…

For now, here’s this:

Protein Powder Granola

Ingredients:

 

Ingredients:

• 4 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 1/4 cup flax seed meal
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup vanilla protein powder
• 1/2 cup chopped dates
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, wheat germ, flax seed meal, brown sugar, dates, cinnamon and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, honey, and vanilla. 
4. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry, and mix until evenly blended. Spread in a greased 9×13 or 11×7 inch baking pan.
5. Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, stirring every 20 minutes, or until toasted.
6. Let cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

 

Strawberry Banana “Ice Cream”

I hope you all enjoyed your holiday!  Mine was filled with family, unseasonably warm weather, great food, and friends.  I’m feeling very grateful!

I’ve been eating a bunch and my digestive system could probably use a break from all of the goodies.

This simple fruity “ice cream” only requires 3 ingredients and a food processor or good blender.  Plus, it’s a delicious and easy transition from unhealthy holiday food back to healthy food.  It’s also very adaptable…you can use any fruit you’d like.  (As you can see in the food processor picture, I used mangoes).

Strawberry Banana “Ice Cream”

Ingredients:

10(ish) frozen strawberries
1 frozen banana
1/4 cup plain yogurt

Directions:

Just one direction… place everything in a food processor and blend until creamy!

White Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies

Happy #nationalbrownieday!

I’m re-posting one of my favorite brownie recipes for the special occasion. Just FYI, these are basically all butter.  These aren’t “every day brownies,” these are definitely “special occasion brownies.”  But, like I said, #nationalbrownieday is a special occasion.

Enjoy!

White Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies

Ingredients:

Brownies:
1 c. butter (yes, two sticks… did I mention this isn’t a healthy recipe?)

3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa

2  c. granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 c. white chocolate chips

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Filling:
(adapted from Taste of Home)

1 c. butter, softened

1 c. packed light brown sugar  

1/2 c. granulated sugar

4 Tbsp. milk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. white chocolate chips

Chocolate Glaze:

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 tbsp. shortening

Directions:

1. Brownies: Prepare 13×9″ baking pan by laying a piece of foil in the bottom and up the sides.  Spray with cooking spray or butter the foil.

2. Melt the 2 sticks of butter in a medium saucepan; add cocoa, stirring until smooth.  Remove from heat and cool slightly. 

3. Add sugar, salt, eggs, and vanilla; beat with a spoon until combined.
4. Add flour and baking powder; mix well.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Spread batter into pan.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow brownies to cool completely before moving on to the next step.
6. Cookie dough: Combine first 5 ingredients in a mixing bowl and cream together.  Add flour and stir until combined.  Stir in chocolate chips.
7. Spread in an even layer on top of cooled brownies.  Chill before adding chocolate glaze.
8. Glaze: Melt chocolate with shortening and stir until smooth.  Spread over chilled cookie dough layer.

Salted Caramel Sauce

 

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m not super fond of spending $5 on a small Salted Caramel Latte.  I love Starbucks, but I love not spending money even more.

I love this sauce because it’s so versatile.  You can eat it on ice cream, in lattes, on pancakes, in oatmeal… your options are endless!

To make a salted caramel latte, click here.  To make a caramel macchiato, click here.

Salted Caramel Sauce
Recipe from: Sally’s Baking Addiction

Ingredients:

1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
6 Tablespoons (90g) salted butter, cut up into 6 pieces
1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Heat granulated sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a high heat resistant rubber spatula or wooden spoon.
2. Sugar will form clumps and eventually melt into a thick brown, amber-colored liquid as you continue to stir. Be careful not to burn.
3. Once sugar is completely melted, immediately add the butter. Be careful in this step because the caramel will bubble rapidly when the butter is added.
4. Stir the butter into the caramel until it is completely melted, about 2-3 minutes.
5. Very slowly, drizzle in 1/2 cup of heavy cream while stirring. Since the heavy cream is colder than the caramel, the mixture will rapidly bubble and/or splatter when added.
6. Allow the mixture to boil for 1 minute. It will rise in the pan as it boils.
7. Remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon of salt. Allow to cool down before using. Store in the fridge.

 

Chocolate Cheesecake Bars

Holy. Cow.  These chocolate cheesecake bars are incredible.

My go-to dessert lately has been cookies.  I’ve made SO MANY cookies lately that I quit taking pictures of them to post on here because I didn’t want to bore you all.

As I was visiting my parents this weekend, I looked in their cabinets to see what they had.  I like to play a little “game” where I pick an ingredient, then Google “{Insert ingredient here} dessert recipes.”  So, after I spotted some evaporated milk in the cabinet, I Googled “Evaporated Milk desserts,” ignored all of the fudge recipes, and stumbled upon these delicious little bars.

I am all about pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving, but I would totally forego the pie for these bars.  That’s how good they are.  They’re very decadent and you’ll probably need some milk to go with them.

Chocolate Cheesecake Bars
Recipe from: Very Best Baking

Ingredients:

 

• 1/2 cup finely chopped nuts
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, (1/2 a stick) melted

• 1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup evaporated milk
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease 8×8 inch baking pan.
2. Combine flour, nuts, brown sugar and butter in medium bowl; reserve 1/2 cup mixture for topping. Press remaining mixture onto bottom of prepared baking pan.
3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or just until light golden brown.
4. Make the filling:  beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Beat in eggs. Gradually beat in evaporated milk.
5. Microwave 1 cup of the chocolate chips in medium, uncovered, microwave-safe bowl for 1 minute; stir. If necessary, microwave at additional 10 to 15-second intervals, stirring just until chocolate chips are melted. Beat into cream cheese mixture. Gently stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips.
6. Pour over hot crust. Sprinkle with reserved topping mixture.
7. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until center is set. Cool in pan to room temperature. Refrigerate for about 1 hour, then serve.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal

About 80% of the time, I crave sweet, unhealthy breakfasts… like donuts. And cinnamon rolls.  And Reese’s Puffs.  It’s really hard to pass up these options when I’m rushing around in the morning trying to get ready for work.

But, I’d like to live a while so, I find healthy and quick alternatives.  Obviously this oatmeal doesn’t taste like Reese’s Puffs, but it’s a totally sufficient substitute.  Especially topped with heavy cream… balance, right?

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal

Ingredients:
1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
splash of milk or cream

Directions:
1.  Mix water, quick oats, cocoa powder, and salt in a pot on the stove (or make in the microwave).
2. Cook until you’ve reached a desired consistency, then stir in the honey and vanilla.
3.  Top with peanut butter and cream and mix!

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