Dairy-free

Name: Rocky Road Brownie Cookies
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: 13
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips; 1/3 cup vegetable oil (I used olive oil); 1 tsp instant coffee granules (optional); 2 large eggs, room temp; 3/4 cup coconut or cane sugar; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder; 3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour; 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 cup cocktail peanuts; 7 large marshmallows, halved

Rocky Road Brownie Cookies (dairy-free)

September 15, 2020 by Rachael Ng Leave a Comment

We’re taking our chocolate cookies up a notch by making them with brownie batter and then loading ’em up with peanuts and marshmallow! These chewy Rocky Road Brownie Cookies are the perfect mix of salty and sweet!

Rocky Road Brownie Cookies

I’ll be honest, I was never really drawn to rocky road ice cream – I know, I know. I like my chocolate ice cream sans nuts. But brownie cookies with salty peanuts and melty marshmallow? Now that I can get on board with. Plus, chocolate and peanuts (i.e. peanut butter) is one of my all-time favorite combinations!

Now the original rocky road ice cream flavor consisted of chopped walnuts and marshmallow pieces, and then later on, the walnuts were replaced with toasted almonds. For these cookies, I tested hazelnuts and peanuts, and peanuts were the clear winner. Of course you can use any nut that you’d like! I actually think walnuts would be a delicious throwback to the original rocky road ice cream flavor. But if you’re a lover of the current rocky road tradition, then toasted almonds will definitely satisfy the familiar taste you’re looking for.

How to Stuff the Cookies

This cookie dough is a little different than a traditional cookie dough. You’re basically making a thick brownie batter, so you’ll need to let the dough sit uncovered at room temperature for at least 30 minutes prior to scooping the dough balls. This allows the dough to stiffen enough to scoop and hold its shape.

Each cookie will be comprised of 3 Tbsp of dough, and you’ll bake six per baking sheet. Since the dough is less stiff, I found it easiest to scoop half of each dough ball (using a 1 1/2 Tbsp scoop) onto my baking sheet, top those with half of a large marshmallow, and then scoop another 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough right on top of each mallow. Then you can pick up each dough ball and seal the sides using the warmth of your hands, molding and shaping each one. You’ll have big, 3 tablespoon-sized dough balls stuffed with marshmallows and ready to bake!

Ingredients You’ll Need

Chocolate chips are key to getting that crackly brownie top. Don’t use chopped chocolate!
Vegetable oil, any kind you’d like. I recommend avocado oil or light olive oil.
Instant coffee granules are optional but add depth to the chocolate flavor.
Eggs bind the cookies and I don’t recommend any substitutes.
Granulated sugar: white, brown, raw, or coconut sugar. I like to use raw cane sugar or 50:50 cane and coconut.
Vanilla extract, or any kind of extract! Mint or orange would be delicious.
Dutch process cocoa powder is darker in color and deeper in flavor, but you can also use natural cocoa powder.
All-purpose flour also binds the cookies. You’ll want to fluff the flour up and then spoon it into your measuring cups and level it with a knife.
Baking powder keeps the cookies from spreading too much.
Salt helps balance out the sweetness. If you’re using unsalted nuts, you can add an extra 1/2 tsp.
Cocktail peanuts are salty and fried in oil (and totally delicious!). Feel free to use any kind of peanut or other nut.
Large marshmallows are cut in half and stuffed in the dough balls. It’s important to use standard, non-vegan marshmallows for proper melt and spread.

Yield: 13 Cookies

Rocky Road Brownie Cookies

Chewy brownie cookies stuffed with salted peanuts and marshmallow! Your favorite rocky road flavors wrapped up in a delicious and fun cookie!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Additional Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips
1/3 cup vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
1 tsp instant coffee granules (optional)
2 large eggs, room temp
3/4 cup coconut or cane sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup cocktail peanuts
7 large marshmallows, halved

Instructions

Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small, microwavable bowl, melt the chocolate chips along with the vegetable oil and instant coffee. Heat in 30 second intervals, stirring each time, until chips are melted and chocolate is smooth; set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the eggs and sugar. Whisk on medium-high until thick, fluffy, and light in color, around 3-5 minutes. Whisk in the vanilla extract.
Fold the melted chocolate into the egg/sugar mixture until totally combined; set aside.
In a medium bowl, sift the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until combined and uniform in color. Add these dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until everything is combined. Stir in the peanuts.
The dough will be like a very sticky, thick brownie batter. Allow it to sit at room temperature, uncovered, for 30 minutes. This allows the batter to stiffen up a bit so you can roll the dough balls - in other words, don't skip this step!
Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. To stuff the dough balls with the marshmallow, I found it easiest to use a 1.5 Tbsp cookie scoop to scoop one dough ball, place half of a large marshmallow on top of the dough ball, and then scoop another 1.5 Tbsp dough ball on top (see photo). Each cookie will be comprised of 3 Tbsp of dough. Then you can seal the cookie dough around the mallow and shape the dough balls.
Scoop the cookies six at a time on one baking sheet, sealing and shaping the dough balls, flattening them a bit before baking. I also found it helpful to remove any peanuts from the outer edge of the dough balls and press them into the tops - this allows the cookies to spread in an even circular shape.
Bake the cookies at 350°F for 9-10 minutes or just until the marshmallow begins to peak out of the cookies. Let cookies set on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.
Continue scooping and baking cookies until all the dough is baked, alternating between the two baking sheets so that your cookies are always scooped onto a room temperature sheet.
Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

I only recommend using standard marshmallows for this recipe. I've found that "healthier" or vegan marshmallows don't melt/spread properly
You can use any kind of nuts for this recipe - chop larger nuts into smaller pieces

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 185Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 168mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 2gSugar: 12gProtein: 2g

calculated nutrition information may not always be accurate

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Vegan Blondies with Salted Caramel

September 3, 2020 by Rachael Ng Leave a Comment

Soft and sweet Vegan Blondie Bars drizzled with a luscious Vegan Salted Caramel sauce! Top these sugary bars with a sprinkling of flakey sea salt for extra oomph!

Vegan Blondie Bars with Salted Caramel

When I set out to make a vegan version of my blondie bars, I knew I needed to find an egg replacer that would perfectly bind the ingredients together while also giving us that chewy blondie texture without any extra grit. So I looked to my vegan brownie recipe, and I reached for the corn starch. Friends, corn starch is such an excellent egg replacer in this recipe! It binds the ingredients, lends an extra chewy texture to these bars, and, most importantly, goes undetected. In other words, these vegan blondies are just as good as any other blondie bar!

Some of the Ingredients You’ll Need + Substitutions:

Plant-based butter adds that buttery flavor we all know and love. Because we’re after this exact flavor, I don’t recommend any substitutes.

Brown sugar brings that traditional butterscotch flavor to these bars. You can use either light or dark brown sugar.

Coconut sugar is my go-to low glycemic index sweetener. It tastes less sweet than cane sugar and it’s better for you! You can use more brown sugar in its place, but that will make these bars very sweet tasting.

Corn starch mixes with water to bind these bars together. The official egg replacer in this recipe, the starch is totally necessary. You can use arrowroot starch in its place.

White granulated sugar is used to make the caramel sauce. Using a white, refined sugar helps you gauge when the caramel is done as it’s colorless until it’s ready. You can use raw sugar, but you’ll need to keep an extra eye on the boiling caramel to make sure it doesn’t burn.

Coconut cream gives the caramel creaminess and thickness. For this recipe, you want to us only the thick, scoop-able cream that sits at the top of the can. I recommend buying a can of coconut cream that contains only coconut and water. I’ve found that the creams with fillers can keep the cream from solidifying, which we don’t want for this recipe as we need the solid cream.

Yield: 9 or 16 Bars

Vegan Blondies with Salted Caramel

Soft and sweet vegan blondie bars drizzled with a luscious vegan salted caramel sauce! Top these sugary bars with a sprinkling of flakey sea salt for extra salty-sweet oomph!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Additional Time 3 hours

Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

Blondie Bars

1/2 cup (1 stick) plant-based butter
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup corn starch
2 Tbsp warm water
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Flakey sea salt to sprinkle

Vegan Salted Caramel

1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup room temp or warm water
1/2 cup thick coconut cream (the thick cream from a can of coconut cream)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

Make the Caramel

In a small bowl, combine the coconut cream and vanilla extract; set aside. Prepare a work space next to your stove with a wooden spoon and folded towel or hot pad holder.
In a medium, heavy bottom saucepan, add the granulated sugar and then the water, dispersing the water over the sugar. Very lightly swirl the pan, if need be, to soak all the sugar in the water. Place on medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, without stirring or touching the mixture, and cook until sugar is amber in color - this can take up to 15-20 minutes but it will burn very quickly once color starts to form.
Immediately remove the sugar from the heat and place on your towel. Slowly add the thick coconut cream and vanilla and gently stir with a wooden spoon. The mixture will bubble up and be very hot, so be careful! Gently stir the caramel until it stops bubbling.
Place the caramel/saucepan back on the heat and bring mixture to a boil. Use a candy thermometer to measure the temperature. Boil just until mixture reaches 240°F-245°F (soft-ball stage). Remove from heat and stir in the salt. Pour caramel into a heat-proof bowl to cool. While it cools, make your blondies.

Make the Blondies

Preheat your oven to 325°F and prepare an 8x8 baking dish. Spray your dish with non-stick spray and then line with parchment paper. I like to cut one long strip to cover the bottom and two sides, and then I fold the excess over the sides and trim them - that way I can use them as handles later when I pull the blondies out to slice.
Melt your butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring it to a boil and then immediately remove from the heat. In a medium bowl, add the butter, brown sugar, and coconut sugar and mix; set aside.
In a small bowl, mix together the warm water and corn starch until totally combined. Add this to your butter/sugar mixture and stir. Mix in the vanilla extract.
Add the baking powder and salt and stir. Then add the flour, mixing until well combined and no flour streaks remain. Scrape the batter (it will be thick) into your prepared baking dish, smoothing it evenly across your dish.
Bake at 325°F for 15-20 minutes or until edges are slightly browned. Allow to cool completely. Run a butter knife around the edges and use the parchment paper overhang to pull the entire blondie up and out of the dish. Use a sharp knife to slice into 12 or 16 bars.
Drizzle cooled caramel sauce over the cooled blondie bars and immediately sprinkle with flakey sea salt! Store any leftovers in a single layer in an airtight container (do not stack the bars!).

Notes

Bringing the caramel sauce to "soft-ball stage" is necessary as it makes sure the caramel is thick enough to stay on top on your blondies
Allow the caramel to cool completely before transferring to a lidded jar. You can store leftover caramel in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, reheating as necessary to drizzle on whatever you like (it will thicken in the refrigerator)

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Mall-Style Jalapeño Pretzel Knots (dairy-free)

August 25, 2020 by Rachael Ng Leave a Comment

This post is sponsored by Mezzetta and all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Sugared & Stirred possible!

Buttery, peppery Mall-Style Jalapeño Pretzel Knots elevated with Mezzetta Jalapeño Slices! These soft, little knots are Summer-ready and totally delicious! Dip them in your favorite sauce for a delightful appetizer or snack.

Mall-Style Jalapeño Pretzel Knots

I’m going to put it out there: who doesn’t love a mall pretzel?! They’re soft, ultra buttery, and when the smell of a fresh batch reaches your nostrils, you have to have one. I’ve been wanting to expand my repertoire to include more savory recipes, so when thinking about the kind of fun, kid-friendly recipe I wanted to bake up, it was a no-brainer to marry the mild Mezzetta Tamed™️ Jalapeño Slices with a homemade pretzel knot!

I took a recipe I’ve enjoyed making into classic pretzels and made it even easier! Yes! Pretzel knots are easier to shape, easier to transport pre-bake, and quicker to cook. Plus, you get to tuck Mezzetta Jalapeño Slices into the knots for even more of that pepper flavor we all love!

Now, if you’re intimidated, I totally get it! But I promise that homemade pretzels only have one more step than any other yeasted bread knot. Before baking the knots, you’ll let them soak in a hot baking soda bath for about 15 seconds. As long as you give yourself plenty of time to work through the steps of the recipe and get your tools and workspace ready, I know you’ve got this!

Things will definitely get fun when you’re ready to roll and shape your pretzel knots! This is when you can get creative with the shape of your pretzels and how you’d like to adorn them. Mezzetta has two kinds of jalapeño peppers to choose from – Hot Jalapeños or Tamed™️ Jalapeños. If you like your jalapeños spicy then definitely go for the Hot. If you’ve got kiddos who are more sensitive to heat (or you are yourself!) then you have to try their Tamed™️ Jalapeños. They’re a special hybrid of a jalapeño and a bell pepper, so you get all of the jalapeño flavor with a lot less heat! In other words, you won’t be reaching for your water after every bite (tell me it’s not just me!).

Key Ingredients You’ll Need

Active dry yeast gives these pretzel knots the lift they need. Make sure you use the regular, active dry yeast and NOT instant/rapid-rise yeast.
Brown sugar adds the tiniest bit of sweetness. Feel free to use light or dark brown sugar. You can also use coconut sugar in its place.
Bread flour has more protein in it than regular all-purpose flour, which makes the pretzels chewier. All-purpose flour will work for this recipe as well.
Mezzetta Sliced Jalapeño Peppers add flavor to these knots!
Baking soda mixes with water to create a bath for the un-baked pretzel knots. This will help give them that dark, pretzel color.
Egg (along with water) is brushed on the knots right before baking to further enhance the coloring. If you’re vegan or egg-free, you can leave the egg wash off or replace it with melted coconut oil.

Yield: 12 Pretzel Knots

Mall-Style Jalapeño Pretzel Knots

Soft and chewy pretzel knots reminiscent of your favorite mall pretzel! These Summer-ready pretzels are made extra delicious with Mezzetta Jalapeños and flakey sea salt. Dip them in your favorite marinara, cheese sauce, or ranch for a pleasing snack or appetizer.

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 12 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour

Total Time 2 hours 12 minutes

Ingredients

Pretzels

1 packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 1/4 cup warm water
1 tsp salt
3 cups (or 360 grams) bread flour
16oz Mezzetta Sliced Hot or Tamed™️ Jalapeño Peppers
2 Tbsp plant-based butter, melted
Flakey sea salt (or pretzel salt) to sprinkle

Baking Soda Bath

4 cups water
6 Tbsp baking soda

Egg Wash

1 large egg
1 Tbsp water

Instructions

Prepare the Dough

In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the active dry yeast and brown sugar. Add in the warm water, cover the bowl with a towel, and allow the yeast to activate for around 5 minutes - the surface of your water should look a bit foamy from the yeast.
Add in the salt and turn your mixer to medium speed. Add the flour, bit by bit, and allow the mixer to bring the dough together. Once all of the flour is well incorporated and all the dough has accumulated around the hook, you're ready to take the dough out.
Prepare a large bowl with non-stick spray. Sprinkle flour on a clean surface (such as your counter) and flour your hands. Scrape the dough out onto your floured surface and begin kneading the dough. It will be very sticky at first. Knead for 5-10 minutes, adding flour as needed until the dough is smooth, tacky not sticky, and bounces back when you lightly push your finger into it.
Add the dough ball to your prepared bowl, spray the dough with non-stick spray, and cover the bowl with a towel. Allow the dough to rise in a warm spot (like a sunny window) for an hour or until it has doubled in size.

Shape + Bake the Pretzels

In a medium saucepan, add the 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Preheat your oven to 425°F. While you wait for the water to boil, get started on shaping the pretzel knots.
Get your Mezzetta Jalapeño Slices ready by placing them on a paper towel to drain. Place them near where you'll make the pretzels. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and spray each with non-stick spray; set aside.
Spray a small section of counter (or a plastic cutting board) with non-stick spray and turn the risen dough out onto it. Gently shape the dough into a rectangle and then use a pizza cutter to divide it into 12 equal strips.
Take a strip of dough and move it to a clean counter space (you DON'T want to use non-stick spray for this part). Gently roll the dough until it resembles a rope about as thick as your finger. Make an upside down "U" and then cross the right leg over the left, making a ribbon shape. Then you'll take the new left leg and pull it under and through the eye of the ribbon, stuffing a jalapeño slice between the rope. Then you'll bring the leftover leg up and into the eye of the needle, stuffing a jalapeño slice between the rope and meeting the end of the other leg. Pinch the ends together.
Place the completed knot on your prepared baking sheet and repeat until all 12 knots are made. At this time your water should be boiling. Move the two baking sheets near your stove. Next, you will add the baking soda to your boiling water 1 Tbsp at a time - DO NOT DUMP IT ALL IN. If you do this, the water/soda mixture will boil over and make a huge mess.
Gently drop the pretzel knots into the boiling water mix (1 or 2 at a time) with a slotted spoon or spatula. Boil for 15 seconds and then gently move the knot to your other baking sheet. Repeat until all knots are boiled, placing 6 knots on each baking sheet.
Make an egg wash by whisking together the egg and 1 Tbsp of water. Brush this egg wash over the pretzel knots. Top the knots with more Mezzetta Jalapeño Slices and sprinkle them with flakey sea salt or pretzel salt.
Bake the knots at 425°F for 10-13 minutes or until they reach a dark golden brown color. Melt 2 Tbsp of butter and brush it over the warm pretzels.
Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce! Pretzels are best made and eaten the same day.