organic vanilla extract

Homemade Organic Apple Cinnamon Muffins with Streusel

For the Muffins:

Here’s What You’ll Need:

  • 7 Tbsp. [1 stick minus 1 Tbsp.] organic pasture butter, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup organic cane sugar
  • 2 large organic pasture eggs
  • 2 1/4 cups organic unbleached white flour, PLUS 2 Tbsp. for dusting shredded apple
  • 4 tsp. Homemade Baking Powder
  • 1/2 tsp. Real Salt
  • 1 cup grass-fed organic whole milk
  • 1-1/2 tsp. Homemade Organic Vanilla Extract
  • 1-1/2 cups shredded organic tart apples (such as organic Granny Smith)
  • 1-2 tsp. organic 100% lemon juice

Here’s How I do it:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375° Fahrenheit.
  2. In the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
  3. Core each apple, then shred and combine with lemon juice; Set aside.
  4. Once the butter and sugar are creamed, add each egg into the electric mixer separately and mix well in between.
  5. In a separate mixing bowl, stir the flour, salt and baking powder together.
  6. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two segments, alternating with the milk and vanilla.
  7. Stir until just evenly moistened.  The batter will be slightly lumpy.
  8. Combine the shredded apple and 2 Tbsp. flour until well coated.
  9. Using a large spatula, fold in the shredded apples until just evenly distributed, no more than a few strokes.  Take care not to break up the fruit.  Do not overmix.
  10. Spoon the batter into each muffin cup, filling it level with the cup.
  11. Bake for about 12 minutes.
  12. Remove from the oven.
  13. Sprinkle each muffin with streusel.
  14. Place back into the oven and bake until golden, dry and springy to the touch, approximately an additional 8 – 13 minutes.  A toothpick inserted to the center of the muffin should come out clean.
  15. Place the muffins on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature.
  16. Enjoy!

For the Streusel:

  • 1/2 cup organic unbleached white flour
  • 2 Tbsp. organic cane sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. organic light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/4 tsp. organic ground cinnamon
  • 2 Tbsp. organic pastured butter, cut into small pieces

Here’s How I do it:

  1. Mix together the flour, sugar, light brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small mixing bowl.
  2. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut the butter into the mixture just until coarse crumbs form.

Homemade Organic Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats

This is a great on-the-go breakfast when placed into a wide mouth pint Mason jar secured with a lid.

Here’s What You’ll Need:

Here’s How I do it:

  1. Combine all ingredients into a wide mouth pint Mason jar; Stir until well combined.
  2. Cover the jar with a tight fitting lid.
  3. Refrigerate overnight.
  4. Enjoy!

Homemade Organic Strawberry Vanilla Overnight Oats

This is a great on-the-go breakfast when placed into a wide mouth pint Mason jar secured with a lid.

Here’s What You’ll Need:

Here’s How I do it:

  1. Combine all ingredients into a wide mouth pint Mason jar; Stir until well combined.
  2. Cover the jar with a tight fitting lid.
  3. Refrigerate overnight.
  4. Yields one serving.
  5. Enjoy!

Homemade Organic Vanilla Cream Jello

Here’s What You’ll Need:

Here’s How I do it:

  1. Combine the gelatin and water in a wide-mouth pint Mason jar; Stir until well combined and allow to stand for 5 minutes.
  2. Place the gelatin in the bottom of a 3 cup mold/dish, or you can place it into individual molds.
  3. Sprinkle the sugar on top of the gelatin, add the heavy cream, vanilla extract and hot water; Stir until well combined and there are no lumps.
  4. Refrigerate for 2-4 hours, or until set.
  5. Enjoy!

Homemade Organic Marshmallows

Here’s What You’ll Need:

  • 1 cup unchlorinated and unfluoridated water
  • 1/2 cup granulated organic cane sugar
  • 3 Tbsp. organic grass-fed beef gelatin
  • 1 Tbsp. powdered organic marshmallow root (Frontier Organic marshmallow root recommended)
  • 1 cup cold unchlorinated and unfluoridated water
  • 1 tsp. Homemade Organic Vanilla Extract

Here’s How I do it:

  1. Heat 1 cup of water and 1/2 cup of sugar in a small saucepan, stirring often until well blended and a syrup forms.
  2. Meanwhile, Add the gelatin, marshmallow and cold water to the bowl of a stand mixer; Allow to rest for at least 5 minutes, stirring to remove any lumps that might form.
  3. Heat the syrup to 230° Fahrenheit, stirring consistently to prevent the sugar from sticking to the bottom of a pan; Use a candy thermometer to check the temperature.
  4. Pour the hot syrup into the mixing bowl; Turn it on, slowly at first, all the way to the highest setting.
  5. Mix for 10-15 minutes, or until the mixture has turned a frothy white and stiff peaks form;  Be sure not to overmix as the marshmallows will be harder to spread.
  6. Meanwhile, use butter to grease an 8×8″ square dish.
  7. Once the mixture is finished, pour into the dish and allow to set, approximately 4-8 hours.
  8. Dust with confectioner’s sugar (powdered organic cane sugar), if desired.
  9. Enjoy!

Homemade Organic Mocha Yule Log Cake with Mini Meringue Mushrooms

This is a wonderful cake to make during the winter holiday season.  The cake is chocolate and the filling is coffee.

Here’s What You’ll Need:

Here’s How I do it:

  1. Make the Homemade Organic Mini Meringue Mushrooms, if using.
  2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, beat the organic eggs.
  3. Add sugar and beat until the mixture is thick; Stir in the vanilla extract.
  4. In a small mixing bowl, sift all of the dry ingredients.
  5. Into the egg mixture, fold in the sifted dry ingredients.
  6. Grease a heavy stainless steel 15x10x1″ baking pan with butter.
  7. Pour the batter into the greased baking pan and bake at 350° Fahrenheit for 25 minutes, or until top springs back when lightly pressed.
  8. Sprinkle a clean kitchen towel with cane sugar.
  9. When the cake is done, turn it onto the sugar lined towel.
  10. Roll the towel and the cake together making a layer of cake and a layer of towel.
  11. Wrap the towel tightly and place on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
  12. Make Homemade Organic Coffee Cream Frosting.
  13. Once the frosting is finished and the cake is cooled, unroll the cake carefully.
  14. Use half of the cream to evenly frost the cake where the towel once was; Reroll the cake.
  15. Frost the outside of the cake with the remaining frosting.
  16. Attach the Homemade Organic Mini Meringue Mushrooms, if using, to the outside of the cake.
  17. Sprinkle with chocolate curls and top with crushed pistachios (to look like moss), if desired.
  18. Chill for at least one hour, or until serving time.
  19. Slice crosswise into 1″ thick slices.
  20. Enjoy!

Homemade Organic Coffee Cream Frosting

Here’s What You’ll Need:

  • 1 pint [2 cups] organic heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup organic powdered sugar (Add sugar to a food processor and grind into a powder.)
  • 4 tsp. organic finely ground organic coffee (Add coffee grinds to a spice grinder; Grind into a fine powder)
  • 1 tsp. Homemade Organic Vanilla Extract

Here’s How I do it:

  1. Beat cream with powdered sugar, finely ground coffee powder, and vanilla until stiff with a whisk in a large bowl.  (A mixing bowl with whisk attachment OR a hand blender/mixer with whisk attachment works wonders for this process.)

Homemade Organic Vanilla Syrup

Here’s What You’ll Need:

Here’s How I do it:

  1. Bring the mixture to a boil while stirring to mix well.
  2. Allow to boil over medium heat until the mixture lightly coats a spoon.  (This will take approximately 15-20 minutes.)
  3. If you’re unsure if your syrup has cooked long enough, take it off the heat and allow it to cool.  If it needs to cook longer, boil the liquid again and reduce it over medium heat.
  4. Store in a glass jar with tight fitting lid in the refrigerator.
  5. Enjoy!

Homemade Organic Gingerbread Syrup

Here’s What You’ll Need:

  • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup Homemade Organic Vanilla Sugar
  • 1 cup unchlorinated and unfluoridated water
  • 1 tsp. unsulphured blackstrap molasses
  • 1 tsp. organic ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp. organic ground allspice
  • 1/2 tsp. organic ground cloves
  • 1/2 tsp. organic ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. organic ground nutmeg
  • 2 tsp. Homemade Organic Vanilla Extract

Here’s How I do it:

  1. Add all of the ingredients into a chef’s saucepan.
  2. Bring the mixture to a boil while stirring to mix well.
  3. Allow to boil until the mixture lightly coats a spoon.  (This will take approximately 15-20 minutes.)
  4. If you’re unsure if your syrup has cooked long enough, take it off the heat and allow it to cool.  If it needs to cook longer, boil the liquid again.
  5. Store in a glass jar with tight fitting lid in the refrigerator.
  6. Enjoy!

Homemade Organic Mexican Spiced Brownies

I was inspired by The Latin Kitchen to make these brownies.

Here’s What You’ll Need:

  • 1/2 cup organic unbleached white flour
  • 1 tsp. organic ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. organic ground cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. ground chipotle pepper, optional
  • 1-1/4 sticks organic pasture butter
  • 1/2 cup organic cane sugar
  • 1 cup organic raw cocoa powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon Real Salt
  • 1 teaspoon Homemade Organic Vanilla Extract
  • 2 large organic pasture eggs

Here’s How I do it:

  1. Preheat oven to 325° Fahrenheit.
  2. Butter an 8″ x 8″ baking dish; Set aside.
  3. Whisk together flour, salt, cinnamon, cayenne, and chipotle (if using), and set aside.
  4. Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a double boiler over barely simmering water.
  5. Once the chocolate mixture is hot to the touch, set aside until warm.
  6. Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon (or other non-reactive material)
  7. Add one egg, and stir the mixture vigorously.
  8. Add the other egg, and stir the mixture vigorously.
  9. Stir in half the flour and spice mixture, and whisk again until smooth; Repeat with other half of flour and spice mixture.
  10. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until set in the center.
  11. Let cool completely before lifting from pan and cutting. (For even cutting: chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours before cutting.)
  12. Enjoy!