Frosting

Finally I found a great dairy free frosting that holds it's shape for decorating and tastes great too! Yeah for that!

Easy "Butter"-cream Frosting

1 cup dairy free butter/margarine, softened to room temperature

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp almond milk, vanilla (but regular works too)

1 tsp vanilla

1/8th salt

In a mixing bowl or your stand-up mixer cream the butter/shortening. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time. Lastly add in the almond milk, vanilla and salt and mix until nice and smooth. (I don't recommend refrigerating this frosting before using it. If you do need to refrigerate it, you will need to let it come to room temperature before being able to spread it ;)

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies (with a hint of coconut)

Although my picture didn't come out quite as great as the one in Daphne's cookbook, these cookies are AMAZING! I have never thought to put coconut flakes in oatmeal cookies, but it adds such a great burst of flavor (without being too much). More flavorful then any oatmeal cookie I have eaten. Make sure you read her note at the bottom of the recipe, and take them out just when the edges start to brown.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Recipe adapted from Daphne Oz

2 cups rolled oats (not quick-cooking)

2/3 cups whole-wheat flour

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

8 Tbsp/1 stick cold dairy free margarine, cut into pieces (or unsalted butter)

½ cup coconut oil, softened

2/3 cup sugar

½ cup packed light brown sugar

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs

½ cup chopped pecans 

½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1 cup dairy free chocolate chips (or milk or semi sweet)

In a food processor, pulse 1 cup of the rolled oats to a grainy powder. Add the processed oats to a large bowl along with both flours, baking soda, and salt and combine.

In a standing mixer or hand mixer, cream together the butter, oil, and both sugars. Then beat in the vanilla, eggs (one at a time) and beat. Add a third of the dry mixture to the wet mixture, beating to incorporate after each addition. Fold in the remaining oats, nuts, coconut, and chocolate chips. Roll into 2 inch balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 375for 12-15 minutes or until the rims are golden brown and the center is still slightly moist (they will continue baking as they cool).

*Daphne says to always freeze the cookie dough balls before baking to help them cook evenly and limit spread. To do this, just line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, add the cookie balls, cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 2 hours or overnight. Don’t use the frozen pan to bake! Transfer them to another cookie sheet and into the preheated oven. You can also save the frozen dough balls in a freezer bag in the freezer. 

Egg and Dairy Free Pudding

This is not my recipe, but since I have made it twice in the past week I figured I better share it with you all....I couldn't resist the urge :)

Absolutely delish! My kids can't get enough. (me either!)

Incredible Chocolate Pudding

Recipe from Mel @ melskitchencafe

Makes 5 (1/2 cup each) servings

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 Tbsp cocoa powder, Dutch-process or natural, unsweetened

2 Tbsp cornstarch

2 cups dark chocolate almond milk 

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter (see note)

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

sliced bananas for serving, optional

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder and cornstarch. Slowly pour in the almond milk and whisk to combine.
Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the pudding begins to bubble. Cook two minutes longer (while it boils and bubbles). The mixture will be thick but pourable and will set up more while it chills.
Take the saucepan off the heat and whisk in the peanut butter and vanilla.
Pour the pudding into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing directly to the surface to avoid a skin forming. Refrigerate until well-chilled, 3-4 hours.
Serve with sliced bananas (optional).

Note from Melanie:

"The pudding is already egg-, dairy- and gluten-free. For my peanut-free friends, try subbing in soy butter or sun butter for the peanut butter. As noted above in the post, I couldn't resist trying a non-peanut butter version today (2/22/14) since many of you asked about it. Here's the result: the cooked and chilled pudding without the peanut butter was really good! It was definitely missing that element of creaminess the peanut butter gives, but honestly, I loved it. It wasn't quite as thick as the peanut butter version so I would suggest upping the cornstarch to 2 1/2 or 3 tablespoons if you are leaving out the peanut butter. Remember to let it boil and bubble (stirring constantly!) for a good 2-3 minutes to help it get as thick as possible. It will still be slightly runny when pouring into a bowl but will thicken up considerably upon chilling."

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Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

These really are the best oatmeal cookies ever! Just make sure you don't cook them too long....like as in take them out when they still look a bit undercooked rather than getting brown or you will end up with the traditional super thin crunchy oatmeal cookie. Mine take exactly 12 minutes at which point the edges are just barely starting to look golden. After they sit on the cooling rack for a few minutes on the baking sheet they are perfect. These are soft and DELICIOUS! My favorite is that the dough keeps in the fridge for a week, so I can make some each day during the week fresh- yum :)

Another note- I have been experimenting with coconut oil and have been using it exclusively in these chocolate chip cookies although I haven't tried it with this recipe yet. I will update it when I do, but definately comment if you do try that!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe from Sept 2011 Family Circle Magazine

2 sticks dairy free margarine (or butter), at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 cup light-brown sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 large egg yolk, at room temperature

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned rolled oats (I use old fashioned)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 1/2-2 cups diary free chocolate chips (or milk chocolate or semi-sweet)

Heat oven to 325. Place margarine and sugars in a bowl and beat until smooth and creamy. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla, one at a time, beating well between additions.

Place flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a seperate bowl; mix well and add to the butter mixture. Beat until everything is well incorprated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the chocolate chips and beat again. You can cover and refrigerate up to one week.

Form the dough into about tablespoon size round balls and place them about 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet. Transfer to 325 degree oven and bake until the cookies begin to brown at the edges, around 12 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheet.

Chocolate Fudge Pops

Welcome in summer with these yummy chocolate fudge pops! What more can I say? :) 

Chocolate Fudge Pops

Recipe from Daphne Oz Relish

Makes 6

13 ounce can original or "lite" coconut milk, shaken

5 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (make sure your brand is dairy free)

2 Tbsp raw honey

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

Blend all the ingredients until smooth and pour the mixture into ice pop molds. Freeze at least 2 hours. Loosen by running the molds under warm water. Enjoy!

*A few notes*

I used regular coconut milk and they came out to be about 145 calories each. If you don't have Popsicle molds you can use any little cups around the house. I used pixie cups and they were really easy to peel off once frozen except for the bottoms- I had to use a knife for that part. I used thick popsicle sticks and cut them in half lengthwise so I only needed 3 sticks.

Rice Krispie Treats (and Fun Easter Egg Suprise Version)

I love rice krispie treats! I always use the recipe from the back of the box but they always say to use 6 cups of cereal and I never use that much. If you use about 5 cups of cereal to the big bag of marshmallows you can a much softer chewier treat!

So with Easter and Spring coming you have to make these little hidden suprise eggs with your kids. We filled ours with jelly beans since the original calls for m&ms. Here's both recipes just incase you don't know how to make the regular kind.

Rice Krispie Treats
Recipe adapted from Kelloggs

3 Tbsp dairy free margarine/butter, or butter
1 package (about 40) regular marshmallows or 4 cups mini
5 cups rice krispie cereal

In a large saucepan melt the margarine/butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Add the rice krispies cereal and stir until well coated. Using greased hands press firmly into a greased 9X13 pan and cool completely before cutting. You can add sprinkles ontop before they cool for a fun twist.

Hidden Suprise Easter Egg Treats
Recipe adapted from Kelloggs

1 batch Rice Krispie Treats above
12 plastic snap apart 3 x 2 or bigger easter eggs (I only had 3 which is fine, just takes longer)
bag of jelly beans or any dairy free candy
frosting, decorating gel or sprinkles, optional for outside

*My Notes*
 Because the treats are hot I went ahead and filled each half with the mixture and then once it was cooled a bit my kids got to form the hole in the center, pop them out and add the candy, etc. I found that if you take them out of the mold too early it will loose the egg shape, so let them cool a bit more on the wax paper before you take them out.

Make a batch of Rice Krispie treats as directed above.
Clean, then coat the inside of plastic eggs with cooking spray. Using greased hands, firmly press about 1/4 cup of the mixture into each plastic egg half. Use your fingers to make hollow center in each half. Remove from molds. Place on wax paper and cool slightly. Place jelly beans in one half of the egg and then gently press two halves of each egg together until they stick. Cool completley. If you want you can decorate the outside with frosting, decorating gel or more candy or sprinkles (the sprinkles will stick better if you do it while they are warm). Have fun!

Stained Glass Cookies

(The plan was to have these up for Valentine's Day, sorry! You can use them for anything though, so here it goes.)

The original recipe I found this from was on Kraft, but I thought the cookies were yucky...so now I just use my favorite sugar cookie recipe and follow these directions. You can use any sugar cookie recipe, or I listed my favorite one too. Super fun for any occasion and the kids love em.

For the Cookies:

2/3 cup dairy free margarine, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg

1 Tbsp soy milk

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

In a large bowl beat margarine on high 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder and salt and beat until combined, scraping sides occasionally. Beat in egg, milk and vanilla. Beat in the flour. Chill for at least 1 hour so it's not too sticky.

For the Cutouts:

2-3 rolls of lifesavers candy

Preheat oven to 350. On a lightly floured surface roll out to about 1/4-1/2 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes and then trace smaller versions of each cookie shape on the dough (or use tiny cookie cutters or pie cutter shapes) leaving at least a 1/2 inch border of dough from the inside shape. Cut out and remove dough from the center of each shape; set aside. Place all the cookie cutouts on baking sheets covered with tinfoil. Now crush each color of candy seperately between 2 layers of wax paper with a mallet (you can use a plastic baggie but it will most likely rip from the sharp candy pieces). Spoon crushed candy inside centers of cutouts. Bake 6-8 minutes or until candy is melted and cookies are lightly browned. Cool cookies completely before removing from foil.

*Note: This last time I made them they didn't have the "stained glass" look because I overfilled the candy thinking that would be better, but it wasn't because the candies were all gummy. When you fill the holes in the centers of your cookies just fill to the same thickness as your cookies. They will shrink down when they melt but that's okay!

No-Bake Energy Bites

My sister posted these on our other blog we have and I tried them today. They are super yummy and quite addicting I might say! I thought they would also be a nice healthy snack for the kids since I'm trying to sugar-detox the whole family after the holidays :) Perfect for allergies since there's no dairy and no egg. The Enjoy Life dairy free chocolate chips are perfect for this because they are already mini.

No Bake Energy Bites
Recipe from Brooke Salcido @ Four Sisters' Kitchens

1 cup oatmeal
1 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup mini dairy free chocolate chips
2 tsp vanilla

Mix everything together really well. Let chill for about 30 minutes. Roll into balls and enjoy! Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container (they'll keep about a week)

Coffee Cake Muffins

I'll be honest and say that I have always avoided every recipe that called for buttermilk because I didn't know what to substitute. Well now I know, so bring on these yummy muffins! You and your kids will love these because they have streusal in the centers. They will love them even more if you serve them with chocolate milk! (They do have dairy free chocolate milk out there)

Note: To make 1 cup dairy free buttermilk: Put 1 Tbsp vinegar in a one cup measuring glass. Add enough soy or rice milk to equal the one cup. Stir and let stand for 5 minutes. (This recipe only calls for 1/2 cup so only use half :)

Coffee Cake Muffins
Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook
Makes 12 muffins

3 Tbsp all purpose flour
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp dairy free margarine

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup dairy free margarine

1 beaten egg
1/2 cup buttermilk (see my note above)

Preheat oven to 400. Grease twelve muffin cups or line with paper baking cups; set aside.
For topping, in a small bowl stir together the 3 Tbsp flour, brown sugar, and the 1/4 tsp cinnamon. Cut in the 2 Tbsp margarine until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set topping aside.

In a medium bowl stir together the 1 1/2 cups flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, the 1/2 tsp cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, and salt. Cut in the 1/4 cup margarine until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
In another bowl combine egg and buttermilk. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy)

Spoon half of the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each one-third full. Top with half of the topping, the remaining batter, and the remaining topping. Bake at 400 for 15-18 minutes or until golden. Cool in muffin cups on wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from muffin cups and serve warm.

Poppy Seed Bread with Orange Glaze

This bread is absolutely amazing! It is super moist and melts in your mouth. Because of the glaze it's definitely not lacking on the sweetness side either. It also freezes really well which is perfect for small families or if you want to make a few batches to save for a later time. The original recipe calls for milk which luckily my son can have now in baked goods. I made a batch this morning with soy milk and it turned out excellent, however I would definitely stick to original flavored soy or rice milk (no vanilla). It was also more sweet using the soy milk than the regular milk, so if you use soy you might want to go easy on the glazed top. My kids nicknamed the poppyseeds "baby blueberries" and have been devouring this bread, even my picky little 13 month old :)

Poppy Seed Bread with Orange Glaze
Recipe adapted from Don't Panic More Dinner's in the Freezer
Makes 2 loaves + 1 mini

2 1/4 cups sugar
3 1/3 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 2/3 cups vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 2/3 cups soy milk (or milk)
2 Tbsp poppy seeds

Glaze:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tsp grated orange peel

For glaze, bring sugar, orange juice, and orange peel to boil in small saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until sugar dissolves. Set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, in a large bowl beat sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla/almond extract until pale yellow in color. Add flour mixture to the sugar mixture alternating with the 1 2/3 cups milk. Stir in poppy seeds. Pour into greased baking pans. Bake for 1 hour or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. (I had to bake an extra 5 minutes with the soy milk) Remove from oven. Poke holes in bread with toothpick. Gradually spoon orange glaze over hot bread, allowing glaze to soak into bread after each addition. Cool completely in pans letting the glaze get into the bread.
To freeze: wrap completely with plastic wrap and then put in a freezer ziplock bag. On serving day just thaw and serve.

Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

 Repost with new pictures

These cookies are so delicious and such a refreshing change if you are in a cookie rut. These cookies are delicious and chewy and you can always add a few chocolate chips, carab chips, or even a Hershey kiss on top of each cookie (if you can tolerate them) 2 minutes before you finish the cooking time. My son loves to use my potato masher to smash a design on the cookies when we don't do chocolate chips. Kids always love to help! (he looks so small 2 years ago!)

Peanut Butter Cookies

Recipe by Julie Griggs- (the home economics teacher I student taught for)

1 1/3 c flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 c shortening

1/3 c peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c packed brown sugar

1 egg

extra sugar for rolling

chocolate chips, carob chips or Hershey kisses (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl sift flour, soda and salt- set aside. In a large bowl or mixer, cream shortening and peanut butter on medium speed. Add sugars and beat until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add flour until well combined. Make tablespoon size balls, roll each into granulated sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 8 minutes, put chocolate on top and then bake an additional 1-2 minutes. If you aren't adding chocolate, bake for 8-10 minutes or until they start to brown. 

Lemon Cupcakes with Citrus Icing

These cupcakes caused my son to use a new word: "Scrumptious!" He then continued to say, "Thumbs up mom! I'm tempted to eat all of them"

I found these cupcakes in a diet cookbook and I guess it's because they don't involve chocolate and they are really light. Don't make the word light turn you away though- they are definitely sweet! The original recipe calls for safflower oil and non-fat milk, but I used canola and original soy milk and they turned out absolutely divine.

Lemon Cupcakes with Citrus Icing
Recipe adapted from Flat Belly Diet Cookbook
Makes 12 plus muffins (I had enough to do 12 mini ones as well)

Cupcakes:
1 2/3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1/3 cup soy milk (or milk)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest
1 tsp lemon extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Icing
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tsp freshly grated orange zest

Preheat the oven to 450. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
To prepare the cupcakes: Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Combine the oil, eggs, milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, lemon extract and vanilla extract in a second bowl. Add to the flour mixture and stir until really smooth.
Spoon the batter into the muffin cups and bake for 17-19 minutes or until lightly golden and the cupcakes are springy when gently touched. Place pan on a rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pan, transfer to the rack and let cool completely.
To prepare the icing: Combine the powdered sugar, orange juice, and orange zest in a bowl and stir until smooth. (add more juice if needed) Spread some of the glaze over each cupcake with a small spatula and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Smores Bars

Why on earth haven't I posted these brownies yet? I promise you once you have these you will never want to make another kind again. So so so so delicious I can't stop staring at the picture! The only tricky part is finding a dairy free brownie mix. If you can't find any mix try getting some dairy free cocoa and there will usually be a recipe on the back to make the brownies. These bars would be a perfect addition to any party or plate you take around to the neighbors. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Smores Bars

1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs, finely crushed
3 Tbsp sugar
6 Tbsp dairy free margarine (or butter)
1 pkg dairy free brownie mix
3 cups mini marshmallows
1 cup dairy free chocolate chips like Enjoy Life (or semi-sweet)

Thoroughly mix cracker crumbs, sugar and margarine or butter together in a medium bowl. Press firmly into the bottom of a greased 9X13 pan and chill. Prepare brownies as mix directs, and pour over the chilled graham crust. Bake according to package directions taking them out just a few minutes soon. Remove from pan and top evenly with marshmallows and chocolate chips. Return pan to oven for 3 more minutes. Cool before cutting.

Apple Cider Pudding Cake

I got this recipe from my friend Mel at least a year ago and have no idea why I haven't posted it yet! We are finally getting apples on our apple tree this year, and now we found out we are moving out of state...so anyway when I saw we had apples I had the perfect excuse to make this yummy cake. This cake (cobbler in my book) is really rich and the streusel topping is the perfect ending to a perfect cake. The leftovers the next day are just as good if not better. You can serve it with ice cream, soy icecream or eat it by itself- great either way! Every time I've made this I have substituted soy milk and nucoa margarine for the milk and butter and it tastes wonderful.

Apple Cider Pudding Cake

Recipe from Melanie @ melskitchencafe

Cake:

1 cup flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 egg

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup milk (or soy or rice milk)

2 Tbsp melted butter (or melted dairy free margarine)

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups chopped Granny Smith apples

Boiling Mixture:

1 cup apple cider (or apple juice can be substituted)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup brown sugar

Streusel:

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp cold butter (or dairy free margarine)

Butter an 8X8 inch square baking dish. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt, soda, 1 tsp cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. In another bowl, whisk together the egg, 1 cup brown sugar, milk, melted butter and 1 tsp vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients until just combined. Gently fold in apples and spread in prepared pan.

In a small saucepan, bring apple cider (or juice), 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla and 1/2 cup brown sugar to boil. Pour slowly and carefully over the batter. Bake for 35 minutes. Meanwhile, put streusel ingredients together with a food processor or pastry cutter until mixture is crumbly. After the cake has baked for 35 minutes, sprinkle streusel topping evenly over the cake and bake 8-10 minutes more (until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs)

Serve warm and with a scoop of soy ice cream if you want. Don't let the cake sit too long or some of the pudding will be absorbed in the cake topping. It does heat up nicely for leftovers though.

"Icecream" Sandwiches

This little treat excites the minds (and fills the tummies) of all toddlers and preschoolers alike. Okay I won't lie- I love them too. These were always a big hit in the preschool I worked at, and lets face it- a lot healthier too! Perfect for snacktime on a warm day.

"Icecream" Sandwiches

graham cracker sheets, broken into squares (any flavor too)

soy or rice yogurt (or soy or rice icecream)

Use 2 graham cracker squares as the top and bottom of your sandwich and fill with yogurt or icecream. Place in a covered container or wrap with plastic wrap and place in freezer for at least 30 minutes. Take out and enjoy!

Tulipes

 These sorbet bowls are heaven! I think I just found my new favorite dessert to impress. Don't they just look fancy? Well they don't just look pretty, they taste divine too. They taste just like a super yummy sugar cookie, and I could have just eaten them all by themselves but instead I served them with raspberry sorbet. My kids might never eat icecream cones again :)

Sidenote: the original recipe calls for "butter, no substitutions" so if you CAN tolerate butter, use butter, but if you can't then use dairy free margarine. I made one batch with butter and then another batch with Smart Balance Light (dairy-free) Spread. The only difference I found was that the centers weren't as crisp (you may want to add cooking time) and they were a little trickier to form so you might need to hold them the way you want them until they cool. I also let the batter sit for about 5 minutes before pouring it onto the cookie sheet.  Feel free to comment if you have great success using a certain type of dairy free margarine.

Tulipes

May Good Housekeeping Magazine

Makes 12

3 large egg whites

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup all purpose flour

6 Tbsp butter, melted (or dairy free margarine-see above note)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

icecream or sorbet

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease large cookie sheet.

2. In large bowl, with wire whisk, beat egg whites, confectioner's sugar, and flour until well blended. Beat in melted butter, vanilla, and salt.

3. Make 2 cookies by dropping batter by heaping tablespoons, 4 inches apart, on prepared cookie sheet. With narrow metal spatula, spread batter to form 4 inch rounds. Bake cookies until golden around edges, 5-7 minutes.

4. Place two 2 inch diameter glasses upside down on work surface. With spatula, quickly left 1 hot cookie and gently shape over bottom of glass. Shape second cookie. When cookies are cool, transfer to wire rack. (If cookies become too firm to shape, return them to cookie sheet and place in oven to soften slightly.)

5. Repeat Steps 3 and 4 with remaining batter (batter will become slightly thicker upon standing). Store in single layer in airtight container at room temperature. To serve, place on plates and fill with icecream or sorbet.

Carrot Cake

This cake is so moist and oh so delicious. It's my grandma's recipe and I remember my mom making it quite often growing up. They always frosted it with a traditional cream cheese frosting which I added below, but if you want it completely dairy free you'll have to use a dairy free frosting like Duncan Hines Classic Homestyle, Whipped Vanilla or this one posted on my blog

Carrot Cake

Recipe from Grandma Lill

1 1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 cups flour

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups grated carrots (raw and packed)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour 2 round cake pans (or one 9 by 13). Combine oil and sugar and mix well. Sift in half of the dry ingredients and half of the eggs mixing well each time. Repeat with the rest. Add carrots and vanilla and mix well. Pour into prepared cake pans. Bake at 325 for 60-70 minutes. Cool and frost.

Dairy Free Frosting

1 cup dairy free butter, softened

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp almond milk
1 tsp vanilla 
1/8 tsp salt 

In a mixing bowl or your stand up mixer, cream the butter/shortening. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time. Lastly add in the almond milk, vanilla and salt and mix until nice and smooth. 

My Grandma's Cream Cheese Frosting (definitely not dairy free)

Recipe from Grandma Lill

3 cups powdered sugar

1 cube butter (1/2 cup)

3 ounces cream cheese

2 Tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

Kitchen Aid Frosting

It was my daughter's 2nd birthday on Monday, and I decided to try out a new frosting recipe. My friend Heather gave it to me and said it was a cross between creamy frosting and marshmellows and for that kids love it. It definitely had that marshmallow feature about it and turned out great. Just a sidenote: I halved this recipe and ended up with plenty to frost 24 cupcakes. I'm guessing it would have frosted an entire cake, but if you want it really thick or are doing a big cake use the full recipe.

Speedy Kitchen Aid Frosting
Recipe from Heather Moore

½ cup water
1 ½ Tbs. light corn syrup
1 ½ cups sugar
½ tsp. cream of tartar
½ tsp. salt
2 egg whites
1 ½ tsp. vanilla



Place water, corn syrup, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt in saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar is completely dissolved. Place egg whites in bowl. Attach bowl and whip, and beat at speed 10 until whites hold shape, about 45 seconds. Continuing on speed 10, pour hot syrup gradually into bowl in a fine stream, about 1 to 1 ½ minutes. Add vanilla and continue whipping about 5 minutes or until frosting looses its shiny appearance and will stand in stiff peaks. Stop and frost cake immediately.

Sugar Cookies

I love making sugar cookies! I don't mean to brag, but my neighbors know me for my really moist sugar cookies. My tried and true recipe uses butter and sour cream (if you are interested in that recipe you can email me and I'll be happy to share), so I've been on a long search for a good dairy free sugar cookie recipe. As most of you who have experimented already know, you just don't get the same results when you substitute dairy free margarine for butter with baking. That's why I'm happy to share this recipe I just tried. I couldn't find any reason anyone would ever suspect these to be dairy free-they turned out great! I'm excited I found a recipe before the big holiday season hits!

A few good things to know:

When you substitute margarine for butter you will get a stickier product, so chill the dough in the fridge as long as you can- at least an hour (I did mine about 3) just to make them easier to work with. I always use Nucoa margarine when I bake, but I'm sure there are a ton of great products out there.

Also take them out of the oven BEFORE they start to brown on top. They can still be white on top and starting to get golden on the bottoms. Otherwise they won't be chewy.

Sugar Cookie Cutouts

Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook

Makes around 28 (2 1/2 inch) cookies

2/3 cup dairy free margarine, softened (I use Nucoa)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg

1 Tbsp regular soy milk

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

In a large bowl beat margarine on high for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder and salt and beat until combined, scraping sides occasionally. Beat in egg, milk and vanilla. Beat in the flour. Divide dough in half, cover and chill for at least 1 hour.

On a lightly floured surface roll half the dough at a time to 1/8-1/4 inch thickness. Cut dough into shapes and place 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake @ 375 for 7-8 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are lightly browned. Cool before frosting.

Frost with dairy free frosting- you can substitute soy milk and dairy free margarine for any frosting recipe, or do like I do and add some fun food coloring to Duncan Hines Vanilla Frosting

Simple Peach Cobbler

I will use the excuse that I'm pregnant when I say I've made a cobbler every week for a month now. Monday's indulgence was my husband's simple peach cobbler. He cooked for me often when we were dating in college, and this was usually the dessert of choice. Below I linked to my favorite cobbler from scratch, but I want to make sure everyone has this SIMPLE and great tasting recipe! (I did end up marrying him...so it obviously impressed me). This recipe is traditionally made in a dutch oven. Because it only has 3 ingredients, it's perfect for camping trips. You can also just use a 9X13 pan and do it at home like I did.

Here is my favorite apple cobbler made from scratch. Just substitute soy milk and dariy free margarine in place of the milk and butter and I promise-nobody will ever know it's dairy free!

Sidenote: I have found both Duncan Hines Yellow Cake Mix and Cherrybrook Kitchen Cake Mixes to be dairy free. Click on the names for the online ingredients.

Simple Peach Cobbler

Recipe from Kevin aka "hubby"

1 box of dairy free yellow cake mix

2 small cans or 1 big can peaches with juices (about 1 quart)

1 cube dairy free margarine (or butter if no allergies)

Spray a 9 by 13 casserole dish with nonstick spray. Pour the peaches into the casserole along with their juices. (If you bought halved peaches you may want to cut them down to smaller slices.) Dump out the cake mix on top of the peaches and spread it out so that there's even coverage. Slice the cube of margarine/butter into thin slices and cover the top of the cake. You want to cut them pretty thin so that each area will be covered and get moist in the oven. Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes. Serve as is or with some soy, rice or regular ice cream and enjoy!