Bars

Name: Fresh Orange Rice Krispie Treats
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 9
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 6 cups marshmallows (10oz bag or 45 large mallows) + 3 cups mini marshmallows; 1/4 cup vegan butter; Zest from 3-4 medium oranges; 6 cups crisp rice cereal

Fresh Orange Rice Krispie Treats (dairy-free)

April 10, 2020 by Rachael Ng Leave a Comment

Fresh Orange Rice Krispie Treats

My toddler has been on a marshmallow kick lately. And by that I mean she’ll randomly think about marshmallows, talk about marshmallows, ask for a marshmallow, and pretend she’s roasting marshmallows on a stick (we’ve never actually done this). Every time we go down the baking aisle and see the bags of mallows, she begs for me to buy some. Whenever I give in (an undoubtedly let her eat a few in the car), I’m left with a bag of marshmallows that’s 95% full and taking up precious pantry space.

This time I decided we would make rice krispie treats. They’re easy. Sort of fun for her (because she gets to eat marshmallows while we “bake”). And they’re one of those treats that us ’90s kids get all nostalgic about. Oh, and they can easily be made dairy-free – or vegan with the right brand of marshmallows – with plant-based butter. And since I’ve been so into orange here lately, I figured we’d spice things up a bit by adding fresh orange zest to these treats. The end result is a delicious, orange-spiked rice krispie treat that tastes like an orange creamsicle. In other words, so much flavor bang with hardly any extra work. Yes!!

Most marshmallow brands have the same (or extremely similar) recipe on the backs of their bags. My recipe follows this standard, aside from a few extra mini marshmallows added in at the end and, of course, the orange zest. While you’re melting the marshmallows into the butter, you’ll add in fresh zest from three medium oranges. Once the marshmallows are melted, you’ll mix in the cereal and extra mini mallows, and then all you’ve left to do is gently press the mixture into a greased baking dish! Then slice and enjoy your gooey, orangey marshmallow treats!

More citrus recipes:

Chocolate Orange Cupcakes (vegan option)

Soft Iced Lemon Cookies

Soft & Chewy Orange Sugar Cookies

Orange Loaf with Almond Buttercream (vegan option)

Yield: 9-16 Treats

Fresh Orange Rice Krispie Treats

Gooey rice krispie treats made with fresh orange zest and extra marshmallow! A super quick and easy dessert easily made dairy-free or vegan.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 10 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

6 cups marshmallows (10oz bag or 45 large mallows) + 3 cups mini marshmallows
1/4 cup vegan butter
Zest from 3-4 medium oranges
6 cups crisp rice cereal

Instructions

Prepare an 8x8" dish or pan with non-stick spray. Then add parchment paper - cut one long piece and fold the excess over the two sides for easy removal of the treats.
In a medium bowl, toss together the rice cereal and 3 cups of mini marshmallows; set aside.
In a large sauce pan or stock pot, melt the vegan butter over medium-low heat. Add the 6 cups of marshmallows and zest from 3 oranges and stir until the marshmallows are totally melted.
Turn the heat to low and stir in the rice cereal/mini mallows until everything is well combined.
Scoop the mixture into your prepared baking dish/pan. Use the back of a greased spoon or spatula to gently press the mixture into the pan - I spray mine with non-stick spray. You want to press the mixture into an even layer without over-pressing it (this would create harder, more compact treats).
Top the treats with the leftover orange zest (from 1 orange).
Allow the treats to cool/set for at least 10 minutes before slicing into 9 or 16 squares. For perfect slices, remove the whole dessert from the pan and slice on a cutting board.
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

I bought two bags of marshmallows for this recipe. In total you will need 9 cups of marshmallows.
The extra mini marshmallows are optional but I totally recommend adding them for ultra marshmallow goodness!
For vegan treats, use vegan marshmallows

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Tag @sugaredandstirred on Instagram and hashtag #sugaredandstirred

Classic Weeknight Brownies (DF)

January 14, 2020 by Rachael Ng 4 Comments

So I decided to take my favorite brownie recipe (which happens to be gluten-free) and make classic, gluten-full, fudgy brownies! For the folks looking for a simple brownie with ordinary ingredients, these brownies are for you. Made with regular cane sugars, eggs, all-purpose flour, and good ole chocolate chips, these brownies are as classic as they come. I, of course, used vegan butter for my brownies, but regular butter would work wonderfully, too!

For these brownies, you’ll melt the chocolate and fats together, whip up the eggs and sugars so they’re nice and thick, and then combine ingredients to form a batter. I only recommend using chocolate chips for this recipe as I could not achieve the same crackly top results with chopped chocolate – still unsure of the science behind this, but chocolate chips yield a crackly top every time! It’s also important to whisk your eggs and sugars until the mixture becomes thick, fluffy, and light in color – this is the traditional way to add “lift” to brownies without using any leavening agents (like baking soda, etc). The end result is a perfectly sweetened, fudgy brownie with a lovely crackly top.

Yield: 24 Brownies

Classic Weeknight Brownies

Classic, crackly-top fudgy brownies made with familiar ingredients from your pantry! The perfect brownies to bake for friends and family!

Prep Time 35 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Additional Time 2 hours

Total Time 3 hours

Ingredients

2 cups dairy-free chocolate chips
1/2 cup plant-based butter (or solid coconut oil)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 heaping tsp instant coffee granules (optional)
4 large eggs, room temp
1 cup white granulated sugar (or coconut sugar)
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp cocoa powder (natural or Dutch process)
2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9x13" baking dish with non-stick spray and parchment paper. I like to cut my parchment paper into two pieces that will criss-cross along the bottom of the dish and then go up the sides. Trim parchment paper at the top edge of the dish.
Using a microwave, or the double boiler method, melt together the chocolate chips, vegan butter, olive oil, and instant coffee. If microwaving, cook the ingredients in 30 second intervals, stirring well between each one. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the room temperature eggs and sugars. Whisk on medium-high speed until mixture becomes thick, light in color, and somewhat fluffy, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the vanilla extract.
Add the melted chocolate mixture to your eggs and sugars, gently folding in the chocolate until totally combined - this takes a bit of patience.
Finally, sift the salt, cocoa powder, and flour into the bowl of batter. Use a large spatula or spoon to mix until no flour/cocoa pockets remain. Pour batter into your prepared baking dish. If your batter has a lot of air in it, there may be lots of bubbles coming to the surface. Feel free to tap your baking dish on the counter and/or use a toothpick to pop some of the bubbles before baking.
Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the brownies comes out with a few crumbs. I like to test my brownies using a toothpick toward the outer edge; that way, I can ensure I don't over-bake the brownies and the middle, along with the outer pieces, will still be fudgy.
Allow brownies to totally cool in the baking dish - for quicker cooling, placing the dish on top of a cooling rack. Run a butter knife along the corners of the brownies, and then use the parchment paper tabs to life the whole brownie up and out of the dish. Carefully slice into 24 pieces, wiping your knife clean between each slice to ensure clean cuts.
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature, in a single layer or with parchment paper between layers (to keep the delicate, crackly top in tact).

Notes

Chocolate chips are necessary for the delicate, crackly top in this recipe

Oatmeal Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars (DF)

December 16, 2019 by Rachael Ng 2 Comments

These simple and sweet oatmeal cookie bars couldn’t get any easier! I took the oatmeal cookie dough that we always used when I was growing up (my mom says it came from a canister of Always Save oats), added chocolate chips and dried cherries, and threw it all into a baking dish. So. Easy. No fiddling around with a cookie scoop, or worrying that your cookies will spread. Just pop the dough into the oven and you’ll get a giant cookie bar that can be sliced into snack-able, individual bars! I drizzled mine with a bit of melted white chocolate for some holiday pizazz given that these are a part of my 12 Days of Dairy-Free Cookies countdown, but feel free to leave these babes as-is, or press extra chocolate chips into the batter pre-bake!

Some of the ingredients I like for this recipe:

Coconut sugar is my favorite, better-for-you replacement for white granulated sugar. It’s low GI, unrefined, and doesn’t taste like coconut!

Brown sugar adds moisture and sweetness to these bars. You can use coconut sugar instead, if you’d like, but I really like the flavor brown sugar lends to these.

Semi-sweet chocolate chips are a no-brainer when it comes to anything cherry. I love a good cherry + chocolate dessert, and I’ve found that dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips are easier, and more affordable, to come by than dark chocolate (which is surprising!).

White chocolate chips add a bit of sweet and some “color” to these bars. I love the contrast between the dark browns of the cookie bar, the red of the cherries, and the bright white of the white chips and drizzle.

Yield: 16 Cookie Bars

Oatmeal Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Chewy oatmeal cookie bars loaded with chocolate chips and dried cherries! An easy and quick spin on a traditional oatmeal cookie.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes

Ingredients

3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup vegan butter stick, softened
1 large egg, room temp
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
2/3 cup dried cherries
1/3 cup dairy-free semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup dairy-free white chocolate chips + ~3 Tbsp more for drizzling

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare an 8x8" baking dish with non-stick spray (I used olive oil) and parchment paper. I like to cut one, long-ish strip of parchment paper to cover the bottom and 2 of the 4 sides, creasing it over the sides and trimming with scissors. Bring your egg to room temperature by placing it in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda; set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the vegan butter, coconut sugar, and brown sugar. Beat in the egg. And then the vanilla.
Use a large wooden spoon or spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Gently stir in oats. Finally, stir in the dried cherries and chocolate chips.
Press cookie dough into your prepared baking dish and bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until edges are slightly browned. Since we used both coconut sugar and brown sugar, the cookie bars will naturally be dark in color.
Allow cookie bars to cool in the dish on top of a cooling rack until firm enough to lift out (around 30-40 minutes). Lift the cookie bars out of the dish and allow to cool completely. Slice into 16 bars.
If desired, melt ~3 Tbsp of white chocolate chips in 15 second intervals in the microwave. Add melted chocolate to a small ziploc bag, snip the corner, and drizzle over each individual cookie bar.
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

Recipe slightly adapted from Always Save

Ginger Molasses Cookie Bars with Frosting (DF)

December 3, 2019 by Rachael Ng Leave a Comment

What’s better than a fresh-baked, soft ginger cookie around this time of year? Frosted ginger cookie bars! They have all the great flavors of a traditional soft ginger molasses cookie, but they’re easier and quicker to bake! Plus they’re topped with a dreamy vanilla buttercream frosting made with vegan butter. And you don’t miss out on any chewiness, because these bars have it all – soft and chewy!

The recipe for these cookie bars involves a simple dough. No refrigeration is required as the dough gets immediately pressed into a baking dish – like I said, easy. Once the bars have totally cooled, you’ll whip up my favorite vegan buttercream with just a handful of ingredients – an easy, no-fail, can’t-tell-it’s-vegan frosting. If you love molasses, spicy ginger, and the sweetness of a sugary frosting, then these bars are for you! Top them with your favorite sprinkles for an extra festive feel!

Some of the ingredients I like for this recipe:

Coconut sugar is my favorite low GI, unrefined sugar. It makes for a great replacement for granulated sugar and tastes nothing like coconut. It tastes less sweet than regular sugar, which balances out the sweetness of the frosting on these bars.

Solid coconut oil beats together with the coconut sugar like in a traditional cookie dough. Feel free to use softened vegan butter instead. I don’t recommend melted (or liquid) coconut oil as I don’t know how the bars would turn out.

Egg yolk adds an extra bit of chewiness to these bars!

Vegan butter acts as the perfect dairy-free alternative to regular butter in this frosting. It’s delicious and creates the perfect frosting texture! Plus, nobody can tell the frosting is vegan!

Vegetable shortening stabilizes the vegan butter, giving it the perfect texture to swirl your frosting on top of the cookie bars!

Yield: 16 Bars

Ginger Molasses Cookie Bars with Frosting

Soft cookie bars flavored with spicy ginger and sweet molasses - all topped with a simple, dairy-free buttercream frosting. A festive and delicious holiday treat!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Additional Time 2 hours

Total Time 3 hours

Ingredients

Bars

3/4 cup coconut sugar
2/3 cup coconut oil, solid
1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, room temp
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups + 2 Tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Frosting

1/3 cup vegan butter stick, softened
3 Tbsp vegetable shortening (or more vegan butter)
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup powdered sugar
3-5 tsp plant-based milk

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare an 8x8" baking dish with non-stick spray + parchment paper. I like to cut one long strip of paper, folding the excess over two of the edges and trimming. Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, beat together the coconut sugar and solid coconut oil. Beat in the egg, egg yolk, and molasses; set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add dry ingredients to wet and use a large wooden spoon or spatula to combine. The dough may seem dry, but it will come together with enough mixing (and may even seem greasy).
Press the dough into your prepared baking dish, using your fingers or the back of a spoon to smooth out the top. Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes, being careful not to over bake the bars - you want them nice and chewy!
Allow bars to cool in the dish for at least an hour. Gently remove the whole cookie bar by running a butter knife along the edges without parchment paper, and then using the excess parchment paper to lift the bar up and out of the dish. Allow cookie bar to cool completely on a cooling rack.
Once the bar is cool, you can make the frosting. Beat together the vegan butter and shortening until smooth. Beat in the vanilla extract and then the powdered sugar. Add plant-based milk 1 tsp at a time until the frosting reaches a spread-able, but still-thick-enough-to-create-swirls, consistency.
Scrape all of the frosting onto the cookie bar and use an offset spatula to evenly spread over the surface, making swirls as you go along. Top with sprinkles or other topping of your choice.
Slice into 16 bars, wiping your knife clean between each slice. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

Peppermint Hot Cocoa Brownies (DF + GF)

November 18, 2019 by Rachael Ng Leave a Comment

The weather is cooling down, the holidays are quickly approaching, and what’s better than a cozy mug of hot cocoa topped with marshmallows? Peppermint Hot Cocoa Brownies! These super rich chocolate brownies are flavored with peppermint extract and topped with a simple homemade peppermint marshmallow. In other words, forget about hot cocoa (for now) and indulge in one of these festive babes instead!

For this recipe I used my favorite base brownie recipe from Running with Spoons and paired it with a slightly altered version of Alton Brown’s Homemade Marshmallow Recipe. I’ve made marshmallows using a different recipe in the past and found myself disappointed with the taste. But this marshmallow topping has no funky gelatin flavor, isn’t too sweet, and has the perfect marshmallow texture! You can eat the brownies as-is or pop one in the microwave for a warm, gooey marshmallow brownie experience – this was my favorite way to eat these. And if you’re not a fan of peppermint, feel free to leave it out completely, replacing it with extra vanilla extract (or your extract of choice!).

Some of the ingredients I like for this recipe:

Coconut sugar is my go-to baking sweetener. It’s low GI, unrefined, and makes for a perfect substitute for white granulated sugar. And it tastes nothing like coconut! For a sweeter (less rich) brownie, feel free to use regular, white granulated sugar instead.

Chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate) lend moisture and lots of chocolate goodness to these brownies.

Eggs make for the perfect brownie texture. Trust me, I’ve tried multiple egg replacements in this recipe, and they do not work. So don’t even try.

Instant coffee granules are totally optional but will deepen the chocolate flavor and richness in the brownies. I highly recommend adding it if you’re looking for a rich brownie!

Arrowroot starch thickens the brownie batter while also keeping it free of grains and gluten – perfect for GF and non-GF eaters alike since the taste is undetectable!

White granulated sugar is necessary for the marshmallow topping! I don’t recommend any substitutes since this topping has been tested as-is and works as-is.

Agave makes for a better alternative to corn syrup, which is what most marshmallow recipes call for. It also has a very low GI, which is great considering the higher GI of the white sugar you’ll also be using.

Yield: 16 Brownies

Peppermint Hot Cocoa Brownies

Ultra rich and fudgy peppermint brownies topped with a thick layer of homemade peppermint marshmallow! The perfect treat for a cool, winter night!

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 30 minutes

Additional Time 4 hours

Total Time 5 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

Brownies

1/3 cup coconut oil, measured as a solid (or 6 Tbsp olive oil)
1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
1 tsp instant coffee granules (optional)
1/4 cup natural cocoa powder
2 large eggs, room temp
2/3 cup coconut sugar (or cane sugar)
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp arrowroot, tapioca, or corn starch

Marshmallow

1/2 cup water, divided
1 1/2 packets of gelatin powder (~3 1/2 tsp)
1 cup white cane sugar
1/4 cup agave
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Make the brownies: preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare an 8x8" baking dish with non-stick spray. Then line your entire pan with parchment paper. I like to cut two long strips of parchment that criss cross over each other on the bottom of the dish. Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes.
In a microwave-safe bowl, melt together the coconut oil and chocolate chips. Stir in the instant coffee and cocoa powder; set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the eggs and sugar. Whisk on medium-high speed until thick and light in color. Whisk in the peppermint and vanilla extracts. Gently fold the chocolate mixture into the sugar and eggs. Add the salt and arrowroot starch and gently mix until just combined.
Pour batter into prepared baking dish and bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the brownies comes out slightly gooey - you don't want to over bake! Allow brownies to totally cool.
Make the marshmallow: in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the gelatin and 1/4 cup of the water. Give it a little stir and then allow it to thicken while you heat up your sugar.
In a medium or large saucepan, add the sugar, agave, salt, and the other 1/4 cup of water. Gently swirl the pan to ensure sugar is totally saturated. Set heat to medium-high (or medium for a gas range) and bring the mixture to a boil. Use a candy thermometer to monitor the sugar's temperature. If your mixture begins to boil too high up the pan (as mine did) you can use your thermometer to gently swirl the mixture back down/hold the pot up and over the heat. I recommend using a large pot. When the mixture reaches 240°F immediately remove from the heat.
With your stand mixer running at low speed, slowly pour the hot sugar mixture into the gelatin. Turn the speed to high and whisk until mixture becomes white, thick, and fluffy. I like to wait until I see soft peaks. Immediately whisk in the peppermint and vanilla extracts.
Spread the marshmallow over the cooled brownies, using an offset icing spatula to spread and swirl it over the brownies. Top with sprinkles, chocolate chips, or crushed peppermint candies.
Allow marshmallow to set for at least 4 hours before slicing. Run a butter knife along the edges of the brownies and use the parchment paper to lift the brownies up and out of the dish. Slice into 16 squares.
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature. I highly recommend popping the brownie into the microwave for a few seconds before enjoying!

Notes

Brownie recipe slightly adapted from Running with Spoons & Marshmallow recipe slightly adapted from Alton Brown

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Fresh Orange Rice Krispie Treats

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