And I can hear the song playing off of my parent’s record player as my Mom, sisters and I made sugar cookies every Christmas — ending with Goodie, Goodie, Yum, Yum, Yum… A not so typical holiday song from the 1950s — and ever so eclectic when being played on vinyl.

Will’s class at preschool is having a holiday party on Friday and is also baking for the holidays tomorrow as a ‘Tastes of Christmas’ theme, so we had to pull ourselves together to try to find the perfect, non-allergen sugar cookie recipe. Unfortunately, we aren’t quite there yet — although this attempt did leave us with some very yummy cookies, the dough is hard to work with.  So, here’s what where we are now with plans to be perfected by Valentine’s Day! Enjoy!

Please note that this is a 2 day project and will leave you at least 3 cookie sheets of cookies — the exact number depends on the cookies cutters that you decide to use.

Earth Balance Shortening – 1 Cup
Sugar – 2 Cups
Unsweetened Applesauce – 1 Cup
Vanilla Extract – 1 1/2 Teaspoons
Flour – 3 Cups + More for rolling out the dough.
Baking Powder – 1Teaspoon
Salt – 1/2 Teaspoon
Sprinkles or colored sugar for decorating

You will need: 2 mixing bowls; mixer; wire whisk; plastic wrap; rolling pin; parchment paper; cookie sheets; cookie cutters — get creative!

Using your mixer, combine the Earth Balance, Sugar, Applesauce and Vanilla until smooth. In the 2nd bowl, combine the Flour, Baking Powder and Salt and stir with the wire whisk. Add the flour mixture to the shortening combo and then mix on low until the dough is combined and somewhat solid — not too sticky. If you find that it is too sticky, start to add in a little more flour until the consistency allows you to make a dough ball.

Once you have your dough ball complete, wrap it in plastic wrap or place in a covered bowl and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.

12 hours later…. Preheat your oven to 375°. Take the chilled dough ball and start to roll it out on a floured surface. Again, if the dough starts to become sticky as it warms up, throw a little more flour on it to prevent it from sticking. Roll out the dough to approximately 1/4″ thickness and then start to cut out your cookies. Place each cookie onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and decorate as you see fit. Of course, you don’t have to garnish if you don’t want, but COME ON, what fun is that?

Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes or until the are a little golden — not too dark though as they become very hard when baked too long.

And the NOSH – Did Will eat it? But of COURSE! AND he’s super excited to bring some dough in to his class so that he can participate in making cookies with his friends…. We’ll supply him with some extra cookies too, just in case the dough finds its way into his tummy before the oven…..

In other news, Will’s Kitchen has added another site to our list of advertisers, A Vapid Blonde!! She’s a dear friend that write with hilarity and choice vocabulary… We wish she wrote more — maybe if everyone goes to her site, she’ll be inspired! GO THERE NOW! And for the repetition, we are also running ads over at http://sprocketink.com/ and http://www.minimunchers.com/ — if you have a website that you would like for us to advertise on, please let us know!

We went back and modified the recipe that we originally found from Vegan Yum•Yum so that an egg substitute, such as Energ-G Egg Replacer, is not necessary. Instead we used apple sauce, which is usually our go-to replacement for the all-mighty egg…. The result is actually a much lighter, fluffier dough… Yum.

Flour – 1 Cup
Sugar – 1/2 Cup
Baking Powder – 1 1/2 Teaspoons
Salt – 1/4 Teaspoon
Nutmeg – Just a dash
Cinnamon – Just a dash
Soymilk – 1/2 Cup
Apple Cider Vinegar – 1/2 Teaspoon
Vanilla Extract – 1/2 Teaspoon
Applesauce – 1/4 Cup
Earth Balance (or non-dairy margarine) – 4 Tablespoons

Dairy Free Chocolate Chips or Chucks for melting — we used Enjoy Life Chocolate Chunks (try not to eat them all before melting!)

You will need: 2 mixing bowls + one glass bowl for melting chocolate & one sauce pot that is equal in size; wire whisk; spoon for mixing; donut maker;

Mix together the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another and set your chocolate chunks (or chips) to melt. In order to melt without burning, fill the pot with about an inch of water and then place a glass bowl that just fits in, but does not touch the water, into the pot — add the chocolate and then turn on the burner. Once the water starts to steam, you can turn off the burner — the chocolate should melt accordingly, and remove from the heat once it is all melted. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and then set the donut maker to heat — as mentioned in a previous post, our donut maker is by babycakes, which makes mini donuts.

Once the donut maker is ready, spoon in about a tablespoon of the batter per donut mold and cook for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the donuts and let them cool until warm — not hot or cold, but warm. Carefully dip each donut into the melted chocolate and then try not to eat them until they have cooled… The longer the donuts cool, the harder the chocolate will become.

Whatever you do, do NOT forget to lick your fingers.

And the NOSH – Did Will eat it? YES! Although he really loved the chocolate before it was melted because it wasn’t as messy. Such a PERFECTIONIST!

In other news, Will’s Kitchen is now running advertising over at http://sprocketink.com/ and http://www.minimunchers.com/ — if you have a website that you would like for us to advertise on, please let us know!

The decision to purchase the Donut Maker required very little thought… Will has been asking to try donuts for a while and none of our local bakers seem to fly without eggs. We also checked the shelves at our grocery stores, but the ingredients were all over the place — cow’s milk, milk fats, eggs, peanut facilities. I investigated recipes for making donuts — all requiring frying, which is delicious, but not really fun for Will when it comes to participating. Buying the appliance was a must — And our first attempt to bake was FUN, the donuts come out mini, perfect for Will sized hands. Not to mention, they were yummy and only took 15 minutes as baking time with the Donut Maker is only 3-5 minutes! Winners, ALL AROUND!

For our trial run, we borrowed a donut recipe from Vegan Yum•Yum. If you haven’t been to this blog, you must go there immediately…. Or in a few minutes when we’re finished with our donuts. The recipe calls for:

Dry Ingredients:
1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp (scant) Nutmeg
1 tiny pinch or shake Cinnamon

Wet Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Soymilk
1/2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
Egg Replacer for 1 Egg
4 Tbs Earth Balance

We plan to move on from here — chocolate donuts, jelly… And I’d like to find an egg substitute that doesn’t require an egg replacer… WHO KNOWS, we may just be onto something here!

And the NOSH – Did Will eat it? YES! He loved them. The only thing was that he saw the recipe at Vegan Yum•Yum with sprinkles and he then required them… Not really what we had planned in the health foods department, but it’s all a work in progress!

PS. Many thanks to babycakes for a stellar appliance!!

And Blueberry Cake just sounded like a good idea! We originally found this recipe over at Shutterbean (one of our new favorite sites), where it reigns as a Blueberry Yogurt Cake… Unfortunately, we have tried just about every soy or non-dairy yogurt that we can get our hands on and nothing seems to work as a good replacement. So for the sake of turning this yummy treat into a dairy, egg and nut free recipe we had to make some alterations that took the yogurt out of the mix.

Shutterbean’s Blueberry Yogurt Cake (please visit Shutterbean for detailed instructions):

• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter (at room temp)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1  teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
• 1 cup blueberries (I used frozen)
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1  cup chopped walnuts

Will’s Kitchen Blueberry Cake:

Dairy Free Margarine – 1/2 Cup plus 2 Tablespoons (at room temp)
Sugar – 1/2 Cup
Ener-G Egg Replacer – Equivalent of 2 eggs
Vanilla Extract – 2 Teaspoons
Flour – 1 1/2 Cup
Baking Powder – 1 Teaspoon
Baking Soda – 1 Teaspoon
Salt – 1/4 Teaspoon
Soy Milk – 1/4 Cup
Apple Sauce – 1/4 Cup
Frozen Blueberries – 1 Cup
Light Brown Sugar – 1/2 Cup
Cinnamon – 1 Teaspoon
Nutmeg – 1/2 Teaspoon

**We did not replace the chopped walnuts, but eliminated them from the recipe instead — Will didn’t want anything “crunchy” in the mixture… Other good substitutes are unsalted sunflower seeds or nut-free granola…

You will need: Mixing Bowls; Measuring tools; 8×8″ baking pan (or similar); Spatula

Preheat your oven to 350° and mix 1/2 cup butter with the granulated sugar until smooth — add in the mixed Egg Replacer and vanilla. In another bowl,  stir together together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Add in the soy milk, apple sauce and gently stir in the blueberries.

In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour half the cake batter into a buttered and floured 8-inch square baking pan. Sprinkle with half the brown sugar mixture and top with the remaining batter.

Combine the remaining brown sugar mixture with 2 tablespoons butter and sprinkle over the top of the batter. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

And the NOSH – Did Will eat it? YES! It was absolutely delicious — gone in one day. We are definitely making this again… SOON!

It’s been too hot to cook or bake these days, which has resulted in a bit of a hiatus for Will’s Kitchen… The fun thing is that when the weather happens to break, we have all these fresh ingredients from our gardens to work with! Here are our “Best Blueberry Muffins Ever” with one cup of Blueberries replaced with one cup of freshly picked raspberries… we were able to whip these up during a thunderstorm. Check back when the summer turns to fall — we have tons of awesome recipes to try!

Canola Oil – 2 Cups
Flour – 1 Cup
Salt – 1/2 Tablespoon
Baking Powder – 1/2 Teaspoon
Sparkling Apple Cider – 1 Cup
Fish — Flounder, Cod or other White Fish – 1 pound
Lemon – 1/2 to squeeze

You will need – Mixing Bowl; Measuring tools; Whisk; Knife for Cutting – watch little fingers!; Rubber Spatula; Deep Pot for Frying; Slotted Spoon

Start by pouring the oil into your pot and heat it over medium/low heat and then whisk together the Flour, Salt and Baking Powder in your mixing bowl. Pat down the fish with a paper towel and then trim while looking for any bones to remove and then cut into strips. Slowly pour the Sparkling Apple Cider into the flour mixture and stir with the spatula until smooth.

Once the batter is combined, use your fingers and dip the fish into the batter piece by piece and add to the hot oil. Only add in a few at a time making sure that they aren’t touching — otherwise they will stick together. Let one side cook for approximately 4 minutes and then use the slotted (or holed in our case) spoon to turn each piece over. Cook both sides until the color is golden brown and then remove to drain. Repeat until all the fish is cooked, give a good lemon squeeze over the whole lot and then GO FOR IT!

And the NOSH – Did Will eat it? We are happy to announce that YES, Will ate them! He actually tried a bite of each one to see which was the yummiest! It was only a few months ago that he did an about-face rejecting the frozen fish sticks — needless to say, we are really happy to see fish back in his diet again! Just goes to show how important it is to TRY TRY AGAIN!

Who knew that a few blueberry muffins would push us over the edge!

Flour – 2 Cups
Salt – 1/2 Teaspoon
Baking Powder – 3 Tablespoons
Sugar – 1/2 Cup
Applesauce – 1/2 Cup (good idea to have more on hand for snacking)
Canola Oil – 1/4 Cup
Soy Milk – 3/4 Cup
Apple Cider Vinegar – 1 Teaspoon
Frozen Blueberries – 2 Cups

You will need – 2 Mixing Bowls; Spoon; Rubber Spatula; Muffin Tin

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and combine the Flour, Salt, Baking Powder and Sugar in a mixing bowl. Before combining the rest of the ingredients, you might want to offer your son or daughter some applesauce… you know, just to see what happens… Then mix together the Applesauce, Canola Oil, Soy Milk and Apple Cider Vinegar in the 2nd bowl. Pour the liquid mixture into the dried and stir with your spatula until fluffy — almost marshmellow-like. Please note that we don’t use a mixer to stir this all together because you don’t want to over-mix it. If it becomes to creamy.. the results could be rather heavy.

Carefully fold the Frozen Blueberries into the mix and spoon into the muffin tin. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Light, sweet and — while we pat ourselves on the back — DELICIOUS!

And the NOSH – Did Will eat it? YES YES YES!!! Not only did he eat the muffins, but he commented that he liked them. BUT THAT’s NOT ALL… Midway through the mixing process he was playing with the applesauce when he asked for a spoon, started eating it and then ASKED FOR MORE! He hasn’t eaten anything with a creamy texture since he was teenie tiny! We are over the top here people… Like spaceship over the top!

Soy Milk – 1 Cup
Red Wine Vinegar – 1 Teaspoon
Sugar – 3/4 Cup
Canola Oil – 1/2 Cup
Vanilla – 1 1/2 Teaspoon
Flour – 1 Cup
Cocoa Powder – 1/4 Cup
Baking Soda – 3/4 Teaspoon
Baking Powder – 1/2 Teaspoon
Salt – Just a Dash

Icing:
Confectioner’s Sugar – 1 Cup
Cocoa Powder – 1/4 Cup
Soy Milk – 2 1/2 Tablespoons

You will need: Muffin Tin; Muffin Cups; Mixing Bowls; Wire Whisk; Spatula; Soup Ladle

Preheat your oven to 350
In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the Soy Milk, Red Wine Vinegar, Sugar, Canola Oil and Vanilla while your son or daughter prepares the muffin tin and paper cups. In another mixing bowl, combine the Flour, Cocoa Powder, Baking Soda, Baking Powder and Salt — stir with your wire whisk and then add to the liquid mixture. Stir the batter with a spatula until smooth — no lumps allowed!

Using your soup ladle – scoop the batter into the muffin cups  — about 1/4″ from the top of each cup and cook in the oven for 20 minutes. In the mixing bowl used for the dry ingredients, combine the Confectioner’s Sugar, Cocoa Powder and Soy Milk — Whisk until smooth and put in the refrigerator to cool. Once your cupcakes are cooked add your icing. Don’t forget to lick your fingers between all steps. If you don’t plan on eating them right away, put them in the fridge… this will solidify the icing a bit.

And the NOSH – Did Will eat it? Yes. He ate it during and after cooking.. He talked about eating the cupcakes at dinner.. and although I’m not positive… I’m pretty sure he’s dreaming about them right now too!

WATER – 1 Cup
ORGANIC SOY MILK – 2 Cups
VEGETABLE OIL – 6 Tablespoons
VANILLA – 1/2 Teaspoon
ALL PURPOSE FLOUR – 3 Cups
BAKING POWDER – 6 Teaspoons
GRANULATED SUGAR – 4 Teaspoons
SALT – 1 Teaspoon
CINNAMON – Quick Dash
FROZEN BLUEBERRIES – 1 Cup

You will need: Measuring tools; 2 Mixing Bowls; Wire Whisk; Waffle Iron, farm animals optional; Spatula; Non-dairy Cooking Spray; Organic Soy Butter or Organic Soy Margarine; Maple syrup (yum).

In a bowl, combine the water, soy milk, vegetable oil and vanilla and mix with a wire whisk. In another bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients and then pour into the first bowl and mix. Pour the frozen blueberries into the mix and give it a light stir– you don’t want to wake them up too much. Spray your waffle iron with the Non-dairy cooking spray and then turn it on to heat. Please note that not all waffle irons are the same, so check out the instructions before turning yours on.

Carefully pour the batter into the waffle iron and cook accordingly.

And the NOSH – Did Will eat it? Yes… yes he did. He ate it from his plate with Soy Butter and Maple Syrup, AND he ate bites out of one that he held in his hand. Success, my friends, is as sweet if not sweeter than blueberries.