dessert Archives - Page 6 of 8 - A Calculated Whisk

Choco-Ginger Truffles

June 27, 2014 By Becky 10 Comments

The chocolates pictured here are survivors of a kitchen disaster.

Truffles are easy and fun to make, and I find the process comforting. To make these ones, I peeled a chunk of ginger with a spoon (like this), grated it with a microplane, and dropped it into a saucepan with almond milk, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Once the mixture had come to a robust simmer, I poured it over a bowl of chocolate chips. I whisked the mixture into shiny perfection: truffle batter.

So far, so good. I let the batter chill in the freezer, compartment of choice for impatient truffle-makers. When it was firm, I formed the truffles with a melon baller, a method I learned from watching Ina Garten. If you don’t have a melon baller, you can approximate one with a teaspoon measure; just make sure you dip the utensil in hot water in between truffles, and don’t be afraid to scoop forcefully.

After a quick roll in some cocoa powder, the truffles were almost ready. I ate one, consumed the equivalent of another by scraping the bowl with a spoon so that no gingery chocolate would go to waste, and stashed the tray with the twenty remaining truffles in the fridge to chill.

Pico de gallo de frutas

May 2, 2014 By Becky 4 Comments

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

This pico de gallo de frutas is a spicy take on fruit salad that is paleo, gluten free, and vegan. It’s perfect for Cinco de mayo or anytime!

After I graduated from college, I moved to Houston and became a bilingual teacher. I had the most amazing group of students, and was lucky enough to be their teacher for three years in a row: kindergarten, first grade, and second grade. We spoke Spanish almost all day, except for an hour or so of ESL. Their kindergarten year was my first year of teaching, as well as my first year living far away from home. While those things made it a difficult year for me, my kids and their families were absolutely fabulous. A lot of people may say this, but I truly think I could not have asked for a better group of students. They worked as a team almost from the beginning–embracing me, each other, and all the new students that trickled in (and sometimes out, and sometimes back again) over the course of our three years together. They were unbelievably kind, patient, tolerant, bright, and hilarious.

At the end of three years, I had learned a huge amount of Spanish (I had thought I was fluent before taking the job, but the Spanish spoken in Texas is so different from what I’d practiced while studying abroad in Argentina that I had to learn new words for much of what I wanted to say). Most of them had learned a huge amount of English, and had learned to read in both languages. I had also learned so much about teaching, about children and families, and about life. I know that sounds very expansive, but it was a foundational experience for me, and I think of those kids and their families almost everyday. Shockingly (to me, because it makes me feel so old), they’re in middle school now, and I’m happy to still be in touch with several of them.

Easy Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting {Secret Recipe Club}

March 31, 2014 By Becky 45 Comments

Easy Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting (Gluten-free, Grain-free) | acalculatedwhisk.com

Sometimes you just need a cupcake. Or a few cupcakes. I feel that I need cupcakes often, but it’s rare that I actually need a dozen, full-size cupcakes. Unless I have a party to take them to, making a whole batch of cupcakes can often end in disaster, with me deciding that a cupcake with coffee is a great breakfast, a cupcake with a side of fruit is a perfect lunch, and dinner is best concluded by eating another two cupcakes, and so on for the next few days.

That’s why I love small-batch baking.

This delicious recipe for a small batch of easy vanilla cupcakes with chocolate frosting comes from Asiya at Chocolate and Chillies. I was assigned her blog for my first month participating in the Secret Recipe Club, and had so much fun perusing her recipe index and deciding what to cook (if you haven’t heard of the SRC, it’s basically a club where each month you’re assigned a blog to cook from, and someone else is assigned your blog, and it’s a fun surprise on the reveal day to see who had your blog and what they decided to make).

Chocolate-Covered Almonds

March 22, 2014 By Becky 2 Comments

Chocolate-covered almonds are my new favorite snack. With a little sea salt added to the mix, they are just phenomenal. Lately I’ve been seeing and buying them everywhere: Starbucks, Tedeschi, and Whole Foods each carry their own versions, all of which are irresistible to hungry grad students. I decided it was time to make my own.

These almonds are roasted, dipped in salted dark chocolate, and tossed with a bit of Dutch-processed cocoa powder. I can’t stop eating them. Although the chocolate coating is not as thick as the almonds I get at the store, which must be triple-dipped, this version still does a great job of satisfying my chocolate cravings. I actually prefer the chocolate-to-almond ratio of this recipe, which allows the nutty flavor of the roasted almonds to come through. If you don’t like your almonds roasted, you can also make this with raw almonds.

While I loved the way these almonds tasted, I wasn’t thrilled with how they looked. It turns out it’s really hard (at least for me) to get nice, smooth chocolate on something that has to be covered on all sides. Since I like everything I post here to be easy on the eyes as well as delicious, I was contemplating not posting this recipe at all; however, when I asked some of my friends on Facebook what they thought, everyone said I should go for it. So, here it is: a four-ingredient recipe for the most addictive snack on earth. I hope you like it!

Salted Nutella Cookies + Cuina Baking Mat Giveaway

March 13, 2014 By Becky 32 Comments

Disclosure: I received this product as part of an advertorial.

Ever since a friend of mine brought over some amazing nutella brownies a couple weeks ago, I’ve been dying to make a dessert of my own with the addictive chocolate hazelnut spread. With a little research, I discovered that you don’t have to add many things to nutella to make a delicious brownie batter or cookie dough. You can even make gluten-free nutella brownies with just three ingredients. However, I decided to make cookies–I was craving something that was both chewy and crunchy, and wanted another chance to use my Cuina silicone baking mat.

I was almost all set to make these cookies–I just needed a jar of nutella. So, in case you were wondering, here is how to spend most of your day on a desperate search for chocolate hazelnut spread:

1. Wake up and tell your boyfriend he can take the car to work, since it’s your spring break and all you really have to do all day is make cookies.

2. After he leaves, immediately regret your decision when you remember you need to go out and buy nutella for the cookies.

3. Eat some leftover bacon & sweet potato chili with a fried egg on top for breakfast, while wondering if there’s any way to get nutella delivered to your home. You decide there probably isn’t.

Mini Grasshopper Parfaits + Epica Cocktail Muddler Review

March 4, 2014 By Becky 10 Comments

Disclosure: I received this product as part of an advertorial.

I thought about calling these mini grasshopper fools, but that sounded like a bit much.

Have you ever tried a fool? It’s an old-fashioned dessert consisting of pureed or mashed fruit, usually berries, folded into sweetened whipped cream. I made a strawberry moscato fool last spring, and it was delicious. These parfaits are similar to fools, but with mint instead of fruit. They’re the perfect way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day (or any day).

(In case I lost you at “grasshopper”, I use the term to describe minty desserts, usually also involving chocolate. The name was first used for a green cocktail made with creme de menthe.)

Lemon Mousse with Raspberry Coulis

February 16, 2014 By Becky 10 Comments

We had another snowstorm today. I was planning to cook something really appropriate for a snowed-in situation, like some sort of stew or casserole that warms you from the inside out, but then I changed my mind. I’m tired of snow food (and, obviously, snow). I am ready for spring!

When I taught elementary school, I used to read my kids the Frog and Toad books by Arnold Lobel. In one of the stories, around this time of year, Frog’s father tells him that spring is just around the corner. Taking his father’s statement literally, Frog goes peeking around all sorts of actual corners in search of spring, to no avail. Finally, he pokes his head around the corner of his own house to find his parents planting their garden, birds chirping, and the sun peering out from behind the clouds. In February and March, I feel like Frog in that story. Spring may be just around the corner, but it’s really hard to see.

Cherry Clafoutis (Gluten free, Grain free)

February 1, 2014 By Becky 6 Comments

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Cherry Clafoutis (Gluten free, Grain free)

This gluten free, grain free cherry clafoutis is as easy as pancake batter to whip up, and bakes into a fluffy cake that’s as wonderful for breakfast as dessert.

I really missed baking during my Whole30. As soon as my 30 days were up, I wanted to bake something with dairy (the first food I’m reintroducing) that was still gluten-free and on the lighter side. I’ve found that it’s much easier to make gluten-free versions of baked goods that call for a relatively small amount of flour as compared to the other ingredients. So when I came across this classic cherry clafoutis from Saveur, which only calls for 3/4 cup flour, plus 6 eggs and over a cup of milk, I figured it would be a good candidate. Guess what? I was right.

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

December 30, 2013 By Becky 9 Comments

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?

Mexican Brownies (Gluten-free, Paleo)

December 20, 2013 By Becky 3 Comments

These brownies are SO good! Rich and fudgy in the middle and irresistibly crunchy around the edges–I can’t stop thinking about them. Their flavor is enhanced by a dose of a cinnamon and a hint of cayenne pepper, but you can totally leave those out if you want a more classic brownie.

I made a big pan of these (doubled the below recipe) for the first meeting of my school’s Spanish Club, and they were a huge hit! The meeting was at ten am, but nobody complained about being served brownies for breakfast. I made them again day before yesterday in these Christmas molds, and I was going to give them as gifts . . . but we ate them all. Restraint is futile when faced with Mexican brownies, especially if they are shaped like Christmas trees.

These brownies don’t taste gluten-free to me at all! The original recipe called for a relatively small amount of flour, so I knew it would be a great candidate for using my paleo flour blend. If you don’t have the flour blend on hand, I’ve also provided measurements for each individual type of flour. The ratio is slightly different from that of the flour blend for ease of measurement, but I have made the brownies both ways and did not notice a difference in taste or texture.

If you’re looking for a last-minute edible gift, why not whip up a batch of these Mexican brownies? Just make sure to give them away quickly before you break down and eat them all. Or, go ahead and make them for yourself for breakfast! ¡Feliz navidad a todos!

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

December 18, 2013 By Becky Leave a Comment

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.

Cranberry Orange Tart (Paleo, Gluten-free, Dairy-free)

December 9, 2013 By Becky 5 Comments

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. I came up with an 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.
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