Cookie Dough Truffles [Menu]

I love cookie dough. I know it's usually full of eggs and other things you really shouldn't eat raw (like two sticks of butter and several cups of flour, etc.) All the same, I sometimes think that a good, firm cookie dough is better than the cookies themselves. Back when Matt and I started dating - seven years ago as of September 2nd, although I can hardly believe it -  cookie dough posed as the "gateway" food to a whole new realm of possibilities for Matt. As I know I've mentioned before, he grew up with a very picky palette, which quickly became a hinderance after engaging in a relationship with me. 

After shocking him with olives and wasabi, Matt found his own path to enlightenment. At the time, my father was keenly interested in the consumption of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, and, after being accidentally served it once or twice (and too much of a gentleman to say anything), Matt was hooked. Now Matt looks for cookie dough wherever it can be found, and nothing excited him more going through my Pinterest and Springpad boards than these cookie dough truffles.

The wonderful thing about Pinterest is the wealth of information and inspiration you can garner from the images that flip across your screen. The bad thing is the tendency towards inaccurate or broken source links and questionable recipes. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love it, and I've benefitted much more from its pages than I've suffered its downfalls. However, it was frustrating to not be able to come up with a reliable recipe. So I sort of made my own, piecing together several different ones, and then eventually using my favorite cookie recipe without eggs and by adding a little extra flour and some milk (to make up for the moisture from the eggs). If you're not a chocolate chip fan, try the same with your favorite cookie recipe! No eggs. Little extra flour. And a little liquid to make up the difference. It will work for you, and they will be delicious. And your former picky eater will be happy. <3
Recipe Ahead!

Vegan Chocolate Cake [Menu]

I've gone through my spells of veganism. The longest one being a year or so of time, last year's only a few months. Now a days, I'm a pescetarian. That's basically a fancy way to say a lacto-ovo vegetarian with the occasional carnivorous indulgence (of the aquatic variety).  I've never done this out of a dietary concern. It's always been for weight loss or ethical/environmental reasons. I've never had any extreme allergies. Lemons sometimes tickle my throat, and I don't feel awesome after eating a ton of oats. Ultimately, though, these are minor annoyances and, certainly, nothing I've concerned myself over.
That can't be said for my friend Katie, however. When Katie officially joined the clan this past year by marrying Tk, one of my oldest childhood companions (who was pictured in our old, tiny apartment from the very first post on The Powdered Plum), she brought an interesting situation to the table. Extremely lactose intolerant. Allergic to peanuts. But not at all picky and very sweet and willing to try things - even if they make her sick. Now, that's a gal worth fixing something special for, wouldn't you say? 


I started keeping almond milk on hand (and found I actually somewhat prefer it in baking), and I decided to try out this vegan cake recipe for Carol and Matt's joint birthday party since Katie would be among our guests. (It should be noted that Matt helped by making the non-vegan cake for the party. He is a sweet, well-meaning gentleman.) I went through a ton of recipes before I found one that sounded in the least bit promising. I don't have a lot of experience making anything more than vegan-friendly cookies, and chocolate cake has a tendency to be dry without dietary restrictions applied. I know full-well there are a myriad of fantastic, successful vegan recipes out there whose ingredients can put eggs and milk to shame, but it took a while before pinning down the right one. I do believe, however, it has been accomplished.


This chocolate cake is moist and delicious, and the orange glaze is absolutely perfect. I have a go-to non-vegan chocolate cake recipe that's hard to beat on flavor, but you can't win over the extreme ease (and low cost) of this option. I'd really put them on the same level, to be honest. Plus, this one doesn't take five hours to assemble! 
If you like the combination of orange and chocolate, definitely go for this particular icing recipe. It hardens just enough to add a nice mouth-feel and is sweet enough to perfect the flavor of the cake. However, if oranges aren't your thing or you're not sure you want to have an entire cake of it, by all means, adapt it to your preferences. As long as the amounts are the same, it'll turn out just fine (and you can always experiment to see what works for you.)

Recipe Ahead!

Chocolate Meringues [Menu]

There are very few desserts in life that I would personally consider "acquired tastes". I mean.. it's still sugar, yes? And sugar is good in just about anything. But, as it would turn out, meringues are definitely an acquired taste for a lot of people.





Back when my best friend and I still lived in the same state, we would go through food "phases" together. I distinctly remember her introducing me to brussels sprouts - a food I never thought I'd like but now love - and tilapia (which I don't particularly care for now.. but, boy, did we eat a lot of it!). And I remember sharing with her the deliciousness of banana popsicles. One time in particular we were studying for a test together; the rule was : you get a question wrong? You eat a pepper. A ridiculous, painfully hot pepper. And what do you think the only cure for such an insane pepper burn is? Banana Popsicles. (By the way, we both aced that test.)





But meringues were something we both seemed to fall in love with at the same time. I believe her mother was the one to buy the first box. And, oh, I don't even think I can fathom how many boxes we have gone through since that fateful day. We would stay up all night eating Kroger meringues and Kraft mac n' cheese while playing Final Fantasy VIII or the Sims (or Metropolismania, later down the line). Those were wonderful, indulgent times.





Since she moved, I've had few occasions to eat meringues. I don't know many people who would bother to buy a box of them, and I feel silly buying a whole box for myself. But homemade meringues.. That's something people will try! Who the heck makes meringues?
You do! And they're super easy to make (as long as you don't mind getting a little messy). If you like meringues like I do, it's definitely worth giving it a whirl - that first crunch is amazing.






Recipe Ahead!

Welcome! Have some cake.. [Menu] + [Personal] + [Announcements]

Hello! And welcome to the Powdered Plum!
Thank you for joining my small corner of the internet.

This is a blog about good food, beauty, friends, photography, and passion. Mostly, you'll find recipes here.. but there's a good chance you mind stumble upon product reviews or beauty tutorials. It's, really, whatever I feel best expresses a mood for the day or what I feel other people might benefit from..

But, I won't bore you with a long introduction. Let's get on to the first recipe!

I stumbled upon this dessert while I was planning a birthday party for my dear friend Kayla. It was her twenty-first birthday, to be specific, and I wanted to do something really special for her. Kayla has a penchant for anything to do with Marie Antoinette and France. So we had a fancy-dress cocktail party with all sorts of French dishes. (I will probably feature several of them as time goes by..)

The dessert that evening was a Chocolate Molten Lava Cake.
Since that day, I have made this dessert about four or five times - it's an easy, quick dessert for entertaining friends. It provides lots of that "wow" factor with minimal effort. (And it's an easy way to get people together.)

This particular time I made it, my husband (Matt), my friend (Tk), and my other friend (Katie) were my very willing victims.

The funny thing about individual ramekins (and small chocolate cakes) is just how much more welcoming they seem. I think people really appreciate feeling that they were thought of in some way when things are being made. That, while your hands were busy with measuring cups and mixers, you thought "I will need exactly x-amount of ramekins with x-amount of scoops in each bowl so that everyone has a fair share." I know, at least, I always feel really special when something is made personal in small amounts.

There's nothing quite like a cool apartment full of friends with the smell of chocolate in the air.





Next time I make it, I'll be sure to post some pictures of the final product. But, in the meantime, here is the recipe.
I hope you enjoy it; I can almost guarantee it'll bring a smile to your guests' faces.

Recipe Ahead!