Deep Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies

When Todd's away, cookie making's at play!

Todd is in a of couple of ultimate frisbee leagues and when he has practice...it's Katie-time in the kitchen! Some kind of sweet is always involved. Usually chocolate and always delicious. This episode involves cookies. Well, a kind of a cookie.

These are adult cookies. They are cookies in a loose sense of the word. Kind of like a cross between a cookie and a chocolate-nut bar. There's not many combinations more delectable than hazelnut and chocolate, am I right? Also, these are sweetened only with dates and chocolate chips! No flour either! They are perfect as a breakfast treat or a snack after work. 

Deep Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies

Makes 12 cookies

• Prep:
• 1 Tbsp. ground flax seed
• 1 Tbsp. cold water
• 1 1/2 cups ground hazelnut meal (about 1 cup whole hazelnuts)
• 3 medjool dates, pitted
• 1-2 Tbsp. water
• 2 Tbsp. melted vegan butter
• Remaining:
• 1/4 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder
• 1-2 tsp. instant coffee granules (optional)
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips

Begin by whisking together the ground flax seed and 1 Tbsp. water in a small bowl. Place in the fridge until ready for use. 

In a food processor, pulse the hazelnuts until finely ground. Just be sure not to turn into hazelnut butter! Transfer to a large bowl. 

Melt the butter in a small bowl in the microwave for about 30 seconds.

Add the pitted dates to the processor and pulse with 1-2 Tbsp. water until it forms a smooth date paste. Process in the vanilla and butter. 

In the bowl with the hazelnut meal, add the remaining dry ingredients, excluding the vanilla and chocolate chips. Whisk to combine.

Now add the flax egg and the butter/date mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix well to combine, then fold in the chocolate chips. 

Preheat oven to 350 F. Form dough into 12-14 cookies. Shape as you'd like them to be when done, because they won't change shape in the oven. Bake at 350 F for 10 minutes on a baking sheet.

Remove from heat and allow to rest for a minute or two on the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container. 

Last weekend I did the Alaska Run For Women, which raises money for breast cancer research. Over 7000 women ran it! A family friend of ours had a mammographer running for her for too...it was me! Wishing all the women, men, and children affected by breast cancer peace and happiness in such a difficult time.

Those are real, wild Alaskan roses in my hair, picked from my driveway. And of course I am rocking my No Meat Athlete shirt that Todd got me for my birthday! *love it*

This is my new favorite song! Sorry, they didn't have it on Soundcloud, but check it out on Spotify! Star & Micey – I Can't Wait - Live Acoustic

German Word of The Day

Hazelnuts --> Haselnüsse (pronounced: hahzel-noose) - one of my favorite German words!

Good Deed of The Day

"Under the current rules, a single slaughter line is allowed to kill a staggering 140 birds every single minute. That extremely fast rate causes workers to slam chickens and turkeys into shackles so quickly that the birds' leg bones often snap. Some birds are able to avoid the throat-cutting blades, which results in them being scalded alive in defeathering tanks." They are trying to raise the limit to 175. Do you want 175 chickens killed per minute? Me neither. Sign here.  

Boozy Chocolate Ice Cream

The best part of waking uuuup, is ice cream in my cuuuup!

It was a hot weekend. If you follow POP on Instagram, Facebook, and/or Twitter you'll see exactly how hot it really was and what I was up to! These hot summer spring days (it was 78 F in the shade!!f) combined with a larger freezer means that I have the profound privilege of making ice cream again! It really is the little things, isn't it?

To be completely honest, in anticipation of knowing we were going to have to move and the possibility of having a larger freezer...I've had a can of coconut milk in the fridge for like a month. This weekend, it was liberated and reincarnated into my Boozy Chocolate Ice Cream!

If you've never had homemade ice cream made with full-fat coconut milk...either get yo'self an ice cream maker, or become BFFs with someone who has one. This is the best darn tootin' ice cream I've ever had, and probably you too. Oh, I went there. Especially if you're still inhaling ice cream made with dairy *shudder*. Just say no, people. 

Produce On Parade - Boozy Chocolate Ice Cream

A super creamy and luxurious, rich chocolate ice cream spiked with spiced rum. Dairy and egg free, and incredibly easy to make!

Boozy Chocolate Ice Cream

Serves 5 

• 1 15 oz. can of full-fat canned coconut milk, chilled
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. vegan sugar
• heaping 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 Tbsp. agave nectar
• 2 Tbsp. spiced rum (or other alcohol)
• heaping 1/4 tsp. xanthan gum 
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Notes: I cannot vouch for the use of lite coconut milk. Just use the full-fat kind and eat less of it, trust me. Also, be sure to buy a quality brand that will separate when chilled, like Thai Kitchen. The alcohol compliments and boosts the chocolate and agave flavors, but if you wish, decrease by half or omit altogether and quadruple the vanilla extract. A little alcohol needs to be incorporated for the ice cream to maintain a creamy and somewhat softened texture. The xanthan gum can be omitted but I very, very highly recommend using it. It's one of the odd ingredients, but I use the stuff all the time. Finally, when the ice cream is done it will have a somewhat soft serve texture. The longer it freezes (like overnight) it will develop that perfect from the carton and not too hard texture. 

The night before, place the can of coconut milk into the fridge. Place the ice cream mixture bowl, and whatever storage container (if you'll have leftovers or want a harder texture) into the freezer.

Produce On Parade - Boozy Chocolate Ice Cream

Produce On Parade - Boozy Chocolate Ice Cream

Produce On Parade - Boozy Chocolate Ice Cream

Combine all the ingredients into a blender and blend on high until well combined and very thick, a couple minutes. 

Now, make the ice cream according to your ice cream maker. With mine, I pour the mixture into the frozen bowl while the machine is on and let it churn for about 20 minutes, until the ice cream is solid and no longer spins with the machine. 

Produce On Parade - Boozy Chocolate Ice Cream

Serve immediately and store in the fridge in an airtight container.

Produce On Parade - Boozy Chocolate Ice Cream

Produce On Parade - Boozy Chocolate Ice Cream

Do not store in the ice cream maker bowl. 

Produce On Parade - Boozy Chocolate Ice Cream

Produce On Parade - Boozy Chocolate Ice Cream

"Why didn't we make more?" Because I can't have 10 servings of this in the house. I would need an electric chair if you catch my drift. I have no self-control. Outta my way! *beep beep* I can see my future now...

Produce On Parade - Boozy Chocolate Ice Cream

Produce On Parade - Boozy Chocolate Ice Cream

Think coconut milk is a bit pricey? Consider this. Also, Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk is $3.99 a can up here in Alaska. Sneaky me, I get mine from Amazon for $1.18 a can and it ships for free. Here's a link! Confused about all the dairy alternatives? It's a fortunate problem to have, but here's some help. So stop drinking secretions from a cow's udder. That's icky, yo. Think outside the udder and drink some plants instead!   

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German Word of The Day: Ice cream --> Eis (pronounced: eyes)

Good Deed of The Day: People like this don't deserve to have furry companions. Help this woman who rescued a dog from a horrible, snowy prison from being charged with theft!

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Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart - Birthday Fun

So...it's been a little while. Sorry 'bout that. I was on the East Coast for two weeks! My sister-in-law ran the Boston Marathon and Todd and I went down to surprise her! If you don't follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram you may have been wondering what I could be possibly doing that would warrant abandoning you for two weeks. While I may not have managed to whip out a full-blown blog post, I did do a lot of posting to social media. If you don't follow Produce On Parade on social media already, you definitely should! I think of myself as highly entertaining...maybe.

Anyways, we left on my birthday! Also, the 25th was Todd and my veganniversary and Produce On Parade's one year blogiversary! That's a lot to celebrate and I can't think of a more amazing way, gastronomically speaking, than with this Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart! I've missed you all so much and I'm so excited to be back.

Here's my gift to you, a creamy coconut caramel poured into a rich, chocolate crust all topped with a luxurious dark chocolate ganache and sprinkled with flake salt. A decadent dessert sure to impress anyone, vegan or not! 

Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart

Makes 1 9" Tart

• Crust:
• 2 Tbsp. ground flax seed
• 2 Tbsp. water
• 10 Tbsp. vegan butter, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 heaping cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• Caramel:
• 1 1/2 cups vegan sugar
• 3 Tbsp. light corn syrup
• 5 Tbsp. water
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. coconut extract
• 1/4 tsp. rum extract
• 6 Tbsp. vegan butter, chopped
• 1/2 cup canned full-fat coconut milk (give the can a good shake first)
• Ganache:
• 3/4 cup canned full-fat coconut milk
• 8 oz. semi-sweet vegan baking chocolate, chopped
• flake salt (to garnish)

Crust:

In a food processor, using the dough hook attachment, combine all the dough ingredients. Process, pulsing and scraping down the sides occasionally until well combined and collects on one side of the bowl. 

Press evenly into a 9" tart pan, ensuring to bring the dough all the way to the top edge of the pan. Poke with a fork several times and place in the refrigerator to cool for one hour. 

Meanwhile, place all the caramel ingredients except for the butter and coconut milk in a small bowl. No need to combine. Set aside until ready to use. 

When the tart has 10 minutes left for chilling, preheat the oven to 350 F. Remove from fridge and place pie weights or a sheet of aluminum covered with a thick layer of dried beans on top of the crust to keep it from ballooning while baking. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes, then remove the weights and bake for an additional 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven, and chill until ready to use. 

Caramel: 

Now, in a heavy bottomed soup pot add the bowl of caramel ingredients and bring to heat over medium. Continuously stir until combined, then allow to cook until it's reached 350 F and do not stir. It should boil, without stirring, until it's reached a dark amber color.

Remove from heat, and stir in the coconut milk and butter until smooth.

Pour into the chilled tart crust and place in the fridge.

Ganache: 

In a pyrex measuring cup or microwave safe bowl, heat the coconut milk for 1-2 minutes until very hot. Add the chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth.

Pour the ganache over the caramel (careful it doesn't overflow!) and place on a level surface in the fridge to chill, at least 1-3 hours depending on if it was pre-chilled or not.

Remove once chilled and finish with a sprinkling of flake salt. Slice and serve chilled. Store in the fridge as the tart will become oozy if let out of the fridge for too long, but will stay very firm if chilled.

Freeze any leftovers for extended consumption and just place in the fridge to thaw before consuming. 

One human birthday, one blog birthday and two veganniversaries?! Let the celebrating begin! 

Oh...and Easter happened too!

We found a beer in our basket! So here's to being back!

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German Word of The Day: Birthday --> Geburtstag (pronounced: geh-boort-stag)

Good Deed of The Day: Sign this petition to stop gas chamber deaths for dogs and cats in the United States.

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