All posts by Melissa

Honey Whoopie Pies {recipe}

Cookies, Pies and Tarts, ,

Honey Whoopie PiesAround this time every year, there are tons of honey desserts floating around.  Two years ago I shared a recipe for chewy sugar encrusted honey cookies.  Last year I shared a recipe for a rolled honey sugar cookie.  They are very different recipes with completely different textures and flavors, but both delicious and sure to put you in the high holiday spirit.  This year I was not planning to share a new honey recipe, I wasn’t feeling inspired.  My sister in law asked me what new and exciting dessert recipe I would share for Rosh Hashana.  I already shared an apple pie bundt cake and was content with that.  But after visiting with her and her new baby girl, I got the idea for these honey whoopie pies.  She and my brother in law love my traditional whoopie pies, so why not make a honey version.  I searched for a recipe and came up empty, so I made my own.  The original recipe is for old German honey cookies that I found on allrecipes.com.  I adapted the cookie recipe, then sandwiched the cookies with my favorite marshmallow filling.  Perfection and a happy dance followed! Happy Holidays!

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Honey Whoopie Pies
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Prep time: 
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Serves: 3½ dozen
 
Ingredients
Honey Cookies
  • 1 cup shortening
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup honey
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. cinnamon
  • ½ tsp. fresh grated nutmeg
  • 4 cups flour
Marshmallow Filling
  • 1 cup shortening
  • 2 cups confectioners sugar
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 cup marshmallow cream (such as Marshmallow Fluff)
Instructions
Cookies
  1. In a medium sized saucepan, heat shortening, sugar, and honey until melted. Allow to cool.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  3. Line some cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
  4. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the eggs, vanilla, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
  5. Add in the cooled honey mixture and mix on low until combined.
  6. Add in the flour and mix until combined.
  7. Using a teaspoon or small cookie scoop, scoop mounds of dough evenly spaced on the parchment lined cookie sheet. Leave enough space for the cookies to spread.
  8. Bake for about 7 minutes until the edges are just barely golden brown. They will still look under baked, but allow them to cool on the pan before transferring. They will finish baking out of the oven and lose the puffiness. Do not over bake or they will be hard.
  9. While the cookies cool, prepare the filling.
Marshmallow Filling
  1. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the shortening and sugar until smooth.
  2. Mix in the vanilla.
  3. Add in the marshmallow cream and mix until combined.
  4. Using a piping bag, cookie scoop, or a knife, fill one side of cookie with filling and sandwich another cookie on top.

Salted Caramel Sauce {recipe}

No Bake Desserts,

Vegan Salted Caramel SauceThis is a recipe I am really excited about.  I have been looking out for a dairy-free version of caramel sauce for a long time, I mean really long.  Caramel usually consists of heavy cream, sugar, and butter, so recreating a non-dairy version poses quite the challenge.  I finally came across a recipe to try from Your Life Uncommon.   The original recipe is actually for caramel sauce, and caramel candies, but I was only focusing on the sauce, so I altered the recipe for fit my needs.  I think this is technically considered more of a butterscotch sauce because it uses brown sugar, but I tried using white sugar and it just did not work, so trust me, stick to using brown sugar!  This is a really easy recipe, just measure out the ingredients, and cook on low to medium heat until done.  You do need to use a candy thermometer, but don’t be afraid of it!  This is a great beginner recipe and the caramel sauce is extremely versatile.  I have used it as a sauce over my non-dairy speculoos cheesecake, and most recently to create a salted caramel glaze for my apple pie bundt cake.  I can’t wait to find new uses for this vegan caramel sauce.

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Salted Caramel Sauce {recipe}
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Ingredients
  • ½ cup vegan margarine such as Earth Balance Buttery Sticks
  • 1 cup corn syrup
  • 1-14 oz. can full fat coconut milk
  • 2¼ cups light brown sugar
  • ½ tsp. sea salt
Instructions
  1. In a medium size heavy bottomed pot add in the margarine, corn syrup, coconut milk, and brown sugar. Cook on low to medium heat stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved and the margarine is melted. Then add in the candy thermometer. Boil the sauce, stirring occasionally, until the temperature reaches 230-233 degrees F (thread stage). Remove from heat and stir in the sea salt. Pour into heatproof container, cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface so a skin does not form. Store in the fridge for about 2 weeks. Can be served room temperature or warm, just stir before serving.

Stacked Luggage Wedding Cake

Celebration Cakes

Stacked Suitcase Wedding Cake
This might be my favorite cake to date!  I always love my cakes and often times have a hard time parting with them, but this one is super special.  I was asked to make the cake look like a stack of luggage to celebrate a travel themed wedding.  But that was the only requirement!  I was given freedom to make the luggage in any shape, texture, and color I wish.

Alligator Luggage Cake
For the bottom tier, I used an alligator texture mat to give the brown fondant this leather look.  Once the cake was covered, I brushed it with brown petal dust to give the texture more life.  Now this suitcase really looks worn.  I made all the buckles and handles ahead of time and allowed them to dry.  Once they were dry I was able to paint them with gold luster dust.

Leather Suitcase Cake

The blue and purple tiers were made with a goosebumps fondant texture mat.  The texture mat really makes them look like leather!  I used a quilting tool to give the leather some stitched detail. Those little details are really what make this cake look more like luggage.

Purple Fondant Suitcase
Here’s a better look at the top tier.  It’s more of a rounded suitcase, I wanted to give the cake a little more dimension instead of having each tier rectangular.  The clasps on this tier are super cute.

Back of Stacked Luggage Cake
Here is the back of the cake.  I couldn’t leave it plain, I had to add little hinges to each suitcase and I’m so glad I did!  Those hinges finish off the look, giving the cake a 360 degree design. Congrats on your special day!