Happy Holidays!

Tomorrow night is Christmas eve so for those who celebrate, it's time to get the house ready! We are craving delicious holiday fare , so in honor of the holidays, here are some delicious treats to bake to get in the spirit!

The following recipe was taken from new mom, Bethenny Frankel's blog and it sounds scrumptious!

*Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

2 1/2 cups oat flour 1 1/2 cups raw sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cocoa powder 3/4 cup vegetable oil 1 cup low-fat almond milk & lemon juice Applesauce or bananas (in place of two eggs) -- you can possibly add vinegar, brown sugar and cinnamon 3 tablespoons beet juice (from a can of beet juice) 1 teaspoon white vinegar 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract Additional Ingredients for Cream Cheese Frosting 8 ounces vegan cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup nondairy butter, softened 1/2 teaspoon real vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (it’s worth buying if you don’t have it, just to make this frosting!) 1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put liners in a cupcake or muffin pan. Make in batches if you don’t have enough pans for the full amount. In a large bowl sift flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a different bowl, whisk the vegetable oil, almond milk, egg-substitute, beet juice, vinegar, and vanilla extract. Mix the flour and oil mixtures and beat with an electric mixer until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour the batter into the cupcake liners and bake for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan after 10 minutes. The batter is pretty thin, so be careful when you pour it in the liners! Finally, mix the frosting ingredients in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes if the frosting isn’t firm enough, and be sure the cupcakes are fully cooled before icing them. *Here is a really yummy recipe that we actually made last night- some of the best chocolate chip cookies around...this recipe was originally taken from Alton Brown, then was "doctored up" by www.recipegirl.com. 2 1/4 cups bread flour 1 tsp kosher salt 1 tsp baking soda 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter 1/4 cup white granulated sugar 1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar (packed) 1 Tbsp half & half cream (or milk) 1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract 1 large egg 1 large egg yolk 2 cups chocolate chips (I prefer bittersweet) 1. Sift together flour, salt and baking soda; set aside. 2. Melt butter in medium saucepan over low heat. Continue to cook on low heat, stirring often, until butter is browned. Turn off heat and stir in white and brown sugars. 3. Scrape into a medium mixing bowl and use electric mixer to cream the butter and sugars together. Add half & half, lemon juice, vanilla extract and eggs. Mix in until well combined. Add half of the flour mixture and incorporate into the batter with electric mixer. Add the rest and mix until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. The cookie dough will be very soft and buttery. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill until firm (an hour or two). 4. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop up heaping Tablespoonfuls of cookie dough and use your hands to roll into balls. Place 12 balls on a sheet, keeping about an inch and a half between each ball. 5. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, depending on how large you’ve rolled your balls (mine took 11 minutes). Yield: About 2 1/2 dozen Have a wonderful day! xoxo, The Moody Mamas