Baking for the Books: Dark Recipes

Summer is hard.

The heat doesn't usually get me this much, but this summer is particularly hot and the marathon really hit me harder than I expected. And I've been busy traveling and writing, and such.

Thank goodness for baking.

I'm a fan of baking. I started baking more during my senior year of college because it was a way for me to take a break from all my homework and projects while still feeling productive. Sitting around watching TV made me antsy, because I wasn't accomplishing anything, but baking and candy-making...I was creating something new, so I could trick my brain into thinking I was working hard.

Meanwhile, my aching brain got a nice rest.

Now, I still bake when I need an outlet while still feeling productive, but lately I've been getting creative with recipes. I've started modifying recipes I find online, for various reasons, but mostly to better fit my writing group's needs.

Let me explain: I enjoy bringing cookies and treats to my writing group meetings. However, one member of the group is vegan and another is off refined sugar currently, so that means I have to alter the recipes. Here's some of my methods for altering for vegan/no sugar.

- Using fruit puree instead of butter or eggs. This holds the cookie together, and also adds some natural sweetener so less sugar is needed.
- Oil works well when the recipe calls for melted butter. There's almost no difference in consistency or flavor.
- Avocado also works in place of butter, but affects color and flavor so may need MORE sugar to cover.
- Honey and maple syrup can be replacements for sugar, though honey requires a little baking soda as well due to acidity. Honey is also not vegan, technically.
- Technically shortening works in place of butter, but I hate it. It doesn't have the same consistency, so I use fruit puree when I can.

However, I also modify the recipes based on what the books we discuss are about. As my group members bring in their stories, I like to try to "capture" their book in a treat. It's a good puzzle for me (and you know how much I like puzzles), and I get to attempt a new recipe. So, here are 3 recipes based on some darker stories to cross my laptop for this group, and why I adapted them like I did.

Dark Side Cookies

Okay, this one came about because of the meme "Come to the Dark Side, We Have Cookies." We got a new member in the group and welcomed her with this meme, and I started to think about what a real Dark Side cookie would be like. The result is a dark chocolate crinkle cookie with a little spice. This recipe is vegan, but not sugar-free.

Makes about 48 cookies.

2 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup applesauce (or 4 eggs if not baking vegan)
2 tsps vanilla extract
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne powder

*Note: all spices are to taste. I usually put in what looks like "enough" but these are rough estimates*

1/3 cup powdered sugar for rolling

1. Mix oil and sugar in a large bowl.
2. Add cocoa and beat until well blended.
3. Mix in applesauce and vanilla.
4. Stir together remaining dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, chili powder, and cayenne pepper) and gradually add to wet mixture, mixing well.
5. Cover and refrigerate until dough is firm enough to handle (about 6 hours)
6. Shape dough into 1 inch balls, and coat in powdered sugar.
7. Place on a lined or greased cookie about 2 inches apart and bake for 11-13 minutes (or until tops are cracked) at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cool and enjoy!

Forbidden Pomegranate Truffles

This one came about due to a group member's story --- a very, very, VERY dark story about angels and demons and immense evil. I didn't think a cookie was right for this story, so I looked to darkly sinful chocolate and, of course, Persephone's forbidden pomegranates. I found this recipe, which worked well as a base, but I decided to dress up the recipe with a little white chocolate for contrast and black pepper. They are neither vegan nor sugar-free (sorry, but I haven't learned how to do that with truffles yet).

Makes 36-40 truffles.

1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
11 ounces of bittersweet chocolate (chopped, bar, or chips - it's all going to melt anyway)
2 tablespoons of softened butter
1/4 teaspoon black pepper (I actually doubled this because this is a mild spice, but here's the ground base)
1/4 cup pomegranate juice (the original recipe calls for liqueur, but I don't do alcohol)
1 cup white chocolate (or cocoa powder, if you'd prefer for the coating)
Black pepper and red sugar crystal sprinkles for decoration

1. Place heavy cream and corn syrup in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer.
2. Place bittersweet chocolate and butter in a small glass or metal bowl.
3. Pour cream mixture over chocolate and let sit for 2 minutes.
4. Stir until all the chocolate is melted.
5. Add pepper and mix.
6. Add pomegranate juice a little at a time; mix until everything is combined.
7. Refrigerate for an hour.
8. Roll truffles into 1 inch balls.

*IF USING COCOA POWDER*

9.  Roll truffles in cocoa powder.
10. Sprinkle with black pepper and red sprinkles.
11.Chill and enjoy.

*IF COATING WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE*

9. Follow the instructions here on how to coat truffles with chocolate.
10. Coat the truffles with white chocolate. Sprinkle black pepper and red sprinkles on top.
11. Chill and enjoy.

Wolfish Red Riding Hood Galettes

(This picture is actually of the ones I made.)

This recipe is one of my favorites. It was a big hit at my writing group meeting. This comes from a really dark, earthy, poetic retelling of "Little Red Riding Hood." I wanted a treat that was dark and earthy, reminiscent of the forest. I also wanted something old-fashioned and "peasanty" in nature, and I wanted to, of course, make it red. The idea was for something a little girl with a thirst for red might bring to her grandmother in an ancient, dark forest. So I altered this recipe, using red berries instead of blueberries and adding rosemary as a hint of pine forest. The galette form, the rustic pastry, was perfect for this project.

This is also not vegan or sugar-free, though could easily be sugar-free in you desire.

Makes about 16 galettes.

1 lb chopped strawberries and (unchopped) raspberries
1/4 granulated sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 tbsp-1 tbsp dried rosemary leaves (this is one of those cases where I added "enough" but this measurement is a rough estimate)
4 pie crusts (2 2-crust storebought boxes) or your own homemade crust, enough for 2 pies
1 beaten egg for egg wash

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper (Parchment paper is a wonderful invention. I freaking love it)
2. Combine berries, lemon juice/zest, sugar, cornstarch, and rosemary in a medium bowl. Set filling aside.
3. Clear a work space to use to roll out the crusts. Sprinkle area with flour and roll out dough.
4. Cut circles that are 6 inches in diameter (use a bowl or cutter with those dimensions). Roll out dough, again, as needed. You should get 4 circles from each ready-made pie crust.
5. Spoon 1-2 tbsp filling into the center of each circle and fold up the edges.
6. Place 8 galettes on each baking sheet. Brush each galette with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar.
7. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

*NOTE: this recipe is amazing fresh out of the oven, but over time the red berry mix can start to look a bit like roadkill. It still tastes good, but looks a little rough. Maybe, though, considering the story this was inspired by, you might want that look.*


I hope you enjoy these recipes! They're the dark ones; there are also recipes I'd call "light" ones, not as heavy on dark and spicy flavors, but those will be a post for another day. Also, if these recipes don't work for you, by all means alter them. That's what I do.

I promise to get back to posting on Mondays; life will be calming down soon. Which is great, because I still need to work on my YouTube channel and get ready for that, on top of my usual work and writing.

Talk to you soon!