Sparkling Sandwich Cookies (Vegan, Gluten-free, Paleo)

I subscribed to Gourmet Magazine when it was still being published, and looked forward to getting it every month.  The cover photographs were always stunning, but the December 2008 cover really stuck with me.  The theme was cookies, and eight different gorgeous recipes were featured on the cover in different parts of the country.  I got the one with these glittering lemon sandwich cookies on it, and now, five years later, I finally got around to making my own version.

These sparkling cookies are vegan, paleo, gluten-free, and perfect for New Year's Eve.  They're also the most adorable cookies I've ever laid eyes on.  The cookies are richly flavored thanks to the almond flour and lemon zest, and the sugar coating provides the perfect amount of crunch.  I was planning to make the lemon filling from Gourmet's recipe, but I got lazy, and instead pulled out jars of raspberry jam and dulce de leche.  The tiniest amount sticks the cookies together, and provides the extra bit of sweetness that makes these sandwiches irresistible.  Also, they kind of look like miniature hamburgers!  How can you say no to that?

5 Last-Minute Christmas Treats (Gluten-free)

Did you suddenly realize you were in need of a quick but impressive dessert for Christmas day?  I have five ideas for you.  You probably have most of the necessary ingredients in your pantry already, but if not, stores should be open for a few more hours!  Make your day merrier by whipping up one or more of these last-minute delicacies.

Chocolate Bark with infinite variations (10 minutes to make, 30 minutes to set):  If you have some chocolate on hand (milk, semisweet, white--pick your favorite!), melt it, spread it on a parchment-lined sheet, and swirl in toppings of your choice.  This recipe calls for pepitas and sea salt, but here are three more ideas: dried cranberries, chopped pecans, and sea salt; crushed candy canes; chopped almonds and toffee bits.  After about half an hour in the freezer, just break the chocolate up into pieces and you're done!

Mexican Brownies (15 minutes to make, 20 minutes to bake):  These are a snap to make if you have paleo flour blend on hand.  If not, you can measure out almond flour, tapioca starch, and coconut flour individually.  If your family enjoys desserts with a little kick, they will absolutely love these!

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays to you and your family!  I am so grateful to all of you for stopping by my blog, leaving me comments, and letting my recipes happen in your kitchens!  I hope you have a wonderful time with all your loved ones and plenty of delicious food over the next few weeks.  Ben & I drove all the way from Boston to Chattanooga yesterday and will spend Christmas here with his family.  I may manage to post one more dessert, but things will be pretty quiet around here until 2014.

If there is anything you'd especially like to see here on A Calculated Whisk during the new year, please leave me a comment and let me know!

¡Felices fiestas a todos!

Cranberry Chocolate Truffles (Paleo, Vegan, Gluten-free)

I promise that after today's post we will take a *short* break from all the cranberries.

Did you make a batch of cranberry maple syrup and cran-maple compote yet?  You're going to need it for these amazing cranberry chocolate truffles! 

The inside of these candies is a beautiful dark pink color thanks to the cranberry maple syrup, and has just a hint of cocoa powder.  The truffles are dipped in dark chocolate to make their snappy outer shell, and then sprinkled with shredded coconut or chopped pecans just before the coating has time to set.  They may be the most festive thing I've ever made, other than this tart.  They are great for gifting.  I love the way the tart cranberry filling tastes with the rich dark chocolate, and I bet you and your lucky giftees will, too.

I think I just made up a word.  It's probably time to for me to stop and just get on with the recipe.

One more thing: these are adorable packaged in an egg carton.  Wrap that all up and see how befuddled people are when they open it and think you're giving them a carton of eggs for Christmas.

A Calculated Gift Guide: Make a Difference with 10 Presents Under $50

I had so much fun putting together this list of ten great gift ideas that support amazing causes around the world.  Spoiler alert: if you're on my Christmas list, you're probably getting one of these (hi, Mom)!

Ever since my first graders voted last year to name our class the cheetahs, I've been keeping up with conservation efforts to save the marvelous cats.  You can help cheetahs by sponsoring a livestock guarding dog in the name of someone on your list.  The Cheetah Conservation Fund's unique project raises and trains Anatolian shepherds to protect local farmers' herds, thus reducing the number of cheetahs that are killed by farmers to save their livestock.  Donations start at $10, and you can download a personalized sponsorship certificate and a picture of one of the dogs.

Cranberry Orange Tart (Paleo, Gluten-free, Dairy-free) & Pompeian Grapeseed Oil

I had this bag of cranberries left over from Thanksgiving that was begging to be used up, and it had been far too long since I'd made any kind of a curd.  The folks at Pompeian sent me a bottle of their grapeseed oil spray, and it gave me the perfect idea: a cranberry orange tart that would give me the chance to use up my cranberries, make a curd, and finally do something with my tart pan.

I am so pleased with how this tart turned out!  Just looking at it makes me really happy.  The cranberry orange curd is just tart enough, but still plenty sweet thanks to the honey.  The crust is a delicious combination of almonds and pecans with a touch of Pompeian olive oil.  The whipped cream on top seals the deal.  Also, how gorgeous are those cranberries and those orange zest curls?  I'm obsessed with looking at pictures of this tart.  And also with eating it.  I did share some with my mom, though, and she said it was one of the best things I've ever made!  If you don't have cranberries on hand, this tart would also be fabulous with any other kind of curd--try classic lemon, dairy-free lemon, or strawberry.  The curd possibilities are endless!  This cranberry orange curd would be equally delicious on pancakes, toast, scones or ice cream if you don't feel like making a tart.  A jar of curd also makes a wonderful homemade gift!

Lemon Sugar Cookies (Vegan, Nut-free)

I was invited to a Hanukah party last night, and needed to bring a dessert that was nut-free and vegan.  I wanted to bring a traditional Hanukah dessert, but soon realized I didn't know of any.  I guess I never really made it past the mountains of latkes at my family's Hanukah celebrations.  A quick search revealed that oily, fried foods like jelly-filled doughnuts are often eaten at Hanukah, but I wasn't about to fry up a big pile of donuts to be eaten hours later.  I also don't really like jelly-filled desserts; I feel that jelly belongs at breakfast.  Since I had dreidel and Star of David cookie cutters, I decided Hanukah sugar cookies would have to be traditional enough.  I also got out my snowman and snowflake cookie cutters, since winter is almost here.

My next task was to find a great vegan cookie recipe.  Since the cookies had to be nut-free, I soon realized it would be very hard to make them gluten-free as well.  So, these cookies are a total gluten bomb.  I promise to be back with more gluten-free eats very soon!

Homemade Vanilla Sugar & Vanilla Salt (Great Gift Idea!)

Do you agree with me and the Barenaked Ladies that vanilla is the finest of the flavors?  If you do, and/or if you remember that song, you should definitely make some vanilla-infused gifts this holiday season.

Vanilla sugar can be used anywhere you would use granulated sugar, but it's especially wonderful as a finishing sugar, sprinkled on top of cakes, cupcakes, creme brulee, homemade caramels, or ice cream.  You can also put it in your coffee or tea for a delicious touch of creamy sweetness.  Are you sold on vanilla sugar yet?  If not, I'm not sure what to do with you!  You can even make it with coconut sugar for a paleo-friendly vanilla treat.  You know you want to!

If you love sweet and salty flavors together, you will love this vanilla sea salt.  I made mine with Celtic gray coarse sea salt, and it's strikingly beautiful, fragrant, and complex.  You can sprinkle it on top of any dessert that needs a salty finish (like these cupcakes or these bars), or even try adding it to savory dishes.  I used a bunch in a batch of chocolate bark I made last night, and it was amazing (recipe coming soon)!  Once you make this, you'll realize that salt and vanilla are meant to be together.  You'll start wishing all your vanilla were salted, and all your salt vanilla-ed.

I made a bunch of little jars of vanilla sugar to give out as favors to all my friends and family who are coming for Thanksgiving.  I love the idea of giving guests something delicious that they can take home and use for a long time.  Both of these would also make great stocking stuffers, hostess gifts, and wedding favors.  The best part is that they only take about five minutes to make!

Patriotic Panna Cotta with Raspberry Coulis and Blueberries

Have you ever had panna cotta?  It's a really simple Italian dessert and its name means "cooked cream".  It comes out kind of like a cross between a flan and a vanilla pudding (read: delicious).

The first panna cottas I made were delicious, but a total fail aesthetically--there wasn't enough gelatin to unmold them in a shapely manner, and the fruit curds I layered in weren't helping at all.  But, this version is just as delicious and much nicer to look at.

Here I've paired panna cotta with a delicious raspberry coulis and some fresh blueberries for a special Fourth of July treat.  Panna cotta is also delicious on its own, or with chocolate sauce.  There are lots of other flavors of panna cotta that I'm dying to make (well, mainly mocha!) but that's all for another day.

For now, impress your friends with this elegant and easy Independence Day dessert!

Ingredients for the panna cotta (makes 4-6 servings; adapted from David Lebovitz):

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup 2 % milk (or use all cream)
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) sugar
1/2 vanilla bean
3 tablespoons cold water
1 packet plain gelatin
Butter for greasing ramekins

Ingredients for the raspberry coulis (makes about 1 cup):

1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
1/3 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon kirsch or framboise liqueur
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional)
1 tablespoon cold water (optional)

For serving:

2 cups fresh blueberries

Place the cream, milk, and sugar in a medium saucepan.  Scrape in the seeds from the vanilla bean, and drop the pod in, too.  Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the sugar is melted and the mixture is hot but not boiling.  Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let the mixture infuse for half an hour.

Lightly grease individual ramekins with a little butter if you're planning to unmold your panna cotta to serve (this is not necessary if you plan to serve it still in the cups).  If your molds hold half a cup, you will need four of them.  If they're smaller, you might be able to fill 5 or 6.

In a medium bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water.  Let it sit for about five minutes.

Meanwhile, remove the vanilla pod and heat the cream back up until hot.  Pour the mixture (through a sieve if desired) into the bowl with the gelatin and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved.  Divide the mixture among your molds and refrigerate, covered, for at least two hours before serving.  Panna cotta will keep in the fridge for up to a week.

To unmold, dip the bottom of each ramekin in hot water for ten seconds, run a thin knife around the edge, then invert onto a plate.

To make the raspberry coulis, place the raspberries, sugar, salt, and water in a saucepan over medium heat and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Strain the mixture, discarding the solids, and stir in the liqueur and vanilla.  If you would like a thicker coulis, mix together 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water until smooth.  Return the raspberry mixture to the saucepan, add the cornstarch paste, and bring to a boil while stirring constantly.  Cook and stir for one more minute, then remove from the heat.  Cool to room temperature before serving with panna cotta.  Store coulis in the refrigerator for up to one week or until ready to use.

To serve, invert the panna cotta onto a plate, surround with coulis, and sprinkle with fresh blueberries.