How a Mistake Became Peanut Butter Jelly Cake [Recipe]

- admin

I like to experiment in the kitchen, especially with kitchen gadget and appliances. I wanted to try to make donuts in our air fryer, after seeing a video for PB&J donuts online. Sadly, things didn’t go too well with my donut dough, but I didn’t want to waste it. So, this is how my donut mistake became a Peanut Butter Jelly Cake! Read more

S’mores Jingle Balls [Holiday Recipe]

-

Ever try a recipe you found online and have it go wrong? We’ve all been there, right? One of the greatest feats in the kitchen is trying to salvage any part of that dish into something everyone will enjoy.

Certainly, my most recent “fail” in the “Don’t Try This at Home” recipe category was with S’mores Pinwheels. I was attempting to veganize the version I had seen online, but it just didn’t work for me. The proportions seemed rather “off,” with WAY too much cereal and not enough chocolate. 

  

I couldn’t just toss it. As much I was would have loved to eat an entire jelly roll of this rice cereal, chocolate and marshmallow, that wasn’t going to happen either, even sharing with Carlo. Since it was Christmas Eve, I decided to switch things up and play around with the idea of a pulled “bread,” but made with the rice cereal instead. 

  

And that’s how the S’mores Jingle Balls were born!

S'mores Jingle Balls
Serves 8
Write a review
Save Recipe
Print
Prep Time
10 min
Total Time
30 min
Prep Time
10 min
Total Time
30 min
For Jingle Balls
  1. 10oz. bag of mini marshmallows*
  2. 1/4 c. vegan butter
  3. 1/4 tsp. pinch of sea salt
  4. 4 c. rice cereal**
  5. 1 c. graham cracker crumbs***
  6. 1/2 c. chocolate chips
For Chocolate Drizzle
  1. 1/4 c. chocolate chips
  2. 1 T. vegan butter
  3. Zest of 1/2 orange
Instructions
  1. In a medium microwave-safe bowl, add marshmallows, vegan butter and sea salt. Heat for 90 seconds to 2 minutes until the butter has melted
  2. In a large bowl, add cereal, graham cracker crumbs and fold in marshmallow mixture until well combined, using a greased spatula. Fold in the chocolate chips until all is well combined
  3. Using a greased 2T ice cream scoop, form the mixture into balls.
  4. Add the balls to a non-stick start pan or a 8x8 or 9x9 baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Set them close together, touching.
  5. Make the chocolate drizzle: Add chocolate and butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Melt for 60-90 seconds. Mix well, adding the orange zest. Using a fork, drizzle the chocolate over the balls
  6. Chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes
Notes
  1. *For this recipe, we used Dandies marshmallows
  2. **For this recipe, you can use Kellogg's Rice Krispies or Nature's Path Organic Crispy Rice cereal
  3. ***For this recipe, you can use Nabisco Grahams (pink box, honey-free), Mary's Gone Crackers or Sweet 'n Sara
The Food Duo http://thefoodduo.com/

It’s Virtual Vegan Potluck Day! Lemon Rhubarb Berry Cupcakes for All!

- The Food Duo 72 Comments
Hey guys! Artie here. Today is the May 2013 Virtual Vegan Potluck! Being the baker around these parts, Macaroon has been experimenting with what to make, choosing to share a dessert. Her results have created a sweet treat recipe she put together especially for this event. With that, I’m going to let Mac take it away…


Lemon: CHECK! Rhubarb: CHECK! Strawberries: CHECK! READY TO GO!

I’ll start with a couple of notes:
  1. Rhubarb looks like celery, right? But…it’s a fruit! Okay, a fruit in the U.S. thanks to a New York court in the 1940s stripping it of its vegetable status.
  2. Lemon’s a fruit, but not sweet unless you put sugar on it. Why isn’t that a vegetable?
  3. Strawberries are just strawberries, full of yummy goodness…oh yeah…and fruit!
So, why am I going on about these 3? Well, I’m getting on the Spring-Summer rhubarb train. Last week, I brought some rhubarb to a raw foods culinary dinner (photos here on Facebook) to be used as an ingredient in a “mystery” dish that would be whipped up on the spot. Our hosts and chefs used it to make a lovely rhubarb dessert, like a cobbler with delicious raisins. Over the last week, I wanted to see what I could make with rhubarb other than the traditional rhubarb-strawberry pie.
I prefer using what I have around, when I can. So, I had some lemons and some strawberries, besides the baking staples. I thought about cupcakes, because I usually make them for Mother’s Day. So, why not a cupcake with all three fruits? SURE! Plus, I would get to use my new favorite egg replacer, The Vegg, in a baked good! CHOICE!
I wanted the cupcake to be rich, yet light. I made a “buttermilk” with unsweetened soy milk and apple cider vinegar. That mixture, along with the chopped rhubarb and strawberries, made the cupcake a subtle creamy texture. The lemon “brightened” the overall flavor. The three fruits really complimented one another, getting a little bit of sweet and a little bit of tart in every bite. I was really pleased. Artie was too, because he happily volunteered to be the official potluck treats taste tester!
For the frosting, I used my Homemade Vegan Vanilla Buttercream Frosting that I shared for the Vegan Easter Basket Cookies I made last month! I did think about going for a lemon frosting, at first, but I think that would have been over the top. I also thought about a strawberry one, but passed this time around. However, I may try it the next time.
Since I like to test new recipes, I now have to figure out what to do with rhubarb next. Got any ideas? While you think about it, here’s my recipe for the cupcakes. Hope you enjoy!

Lemon Rhubarb Berry Cupcakes
Source: Macaroon Loving Lemons, Rhubarbs and Strawberries
Makes 12-15 cupcakes
Ingredients:
  • 1-1/2 c. + 1 Tbsp. unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt
  • 1 c. chopped rhubarb
  • 1/2 c. chopped strawberries
  • 3/4 c. unsweetened soy milk
  • 1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 c. vegan margarine
  • 1 c. granulated sugar
  • Egg replacer for 1-2 eggs (I used 1 tsp. The Vegg + 1/4 c. water)
  • Zest of 1/2 lemon
  • 1/4. tsp lemon extract

Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F/177°C and prepare a 12-muffin pan with cupcake liners. Set aside
  2. In a medium bowl, sift together 1-1/2 c. flour, baking powder and sea salt
  3. In s second medium bowl, toss rhubarb and strawberries with 1 Tbsp. flour. Set aside
  4. In a small bowl, mix soy milk with vinegar to make “buttermilk.” Rest for about 5 minutes.
  5. Using a stand mixer on medium, beat margarine for 1-2 minutes. Add in granulated sugar and cream until mixture is light and pale
  6. Scrape down the bowl and beat in egg replacer, “buttermilk,” lemon zest and lemon extract
  7. Set stand mixer to low and pour in half of the flour mixture. Mix in the chopped rhubarb and strawberries. Then, pour in the remaining flour mixture until well combined.
  8. Pour the batter into prepared muffin tins about 2/3 to 3/4 filled
  9. Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes

    Note: Test doneness with toothpick or fork in the center of the cupcake to make sure it comes our clean

Thanks for Stopping By!
Check Out Our Fellow Virtual Vegan Potluckers!

<< go back to see Spinach Revolution
go forward to see Ode to Mung Beans >>