Today is a pretty special day on The Curvy Carrot.  I’ve been excited about this for several weeks, but now I can share some good news with you.

One of my favorite vegetarian bloggers, Michael Natkin, is now a cookbook author.  I was even more excited when I was invited to have a sneak peek at his new cookbook, Herbivoracious, and I was given the opportunity to share it with you.

I’ve been following Michael for a pretty long time.  His vegetarian recipes range from simple to completely inventive…cheddar battered onion rings?  I mean, seriously.  That idea is BRILLIANT (unfortunately, due to my super sensitive smoke detector and tiny little apartment kitchen, I had to pass on trying that recipe for something else instead…but, let me tell you, it’s on my bucket list.)  Through reading through many of his recipes, I have been introduced to new ingredients, new ideas, and new flavor combinations that leave me inspired, excited, and proud to be almost a full-time vegetarian.

For my recipe, I chose his Maple Pudding with Spiced Pecans.  For several reasons.  One, I have been longing to make a homemade pudding from scratch.  It’s easy, folks.  Two, apparently it’s maple season around the Upper Valley, and I am becoming a maple fan.  Not a super sugary processed maple.  The maple that is thick and golden and tastes like nothing else in this world.  THAT kind of maple.  And, lastly, I knew his meals and entrees would be great, so I wanted to test out a dessert.  Glad I did.  Smooth and creamy with sweet maple flavoring-that’s how this tasted.  It was a really hard decision, to be honest.  I went through this cookbook at least 6 or 7 times before deciding.  The photography is fantastic.  It’s a great cookbook-and not just for vegetarians. To pre-order yours before it comes out on May 8, click here.

Thanks, Michael, for offering me the chance to try your wonderful recipes!

Maple Pudding with Spiced Pecans

Servings: 4

Ingredients

For the pudding: 

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup maple syrup (preferably Grade B)

Salt

For the spiced pecans: 

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 cup pecans (halves or pieces)

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Nutmeg (preferably freshly grated)

Smoked paprika

Salt

2 teaspoons unsalted butter

Instructions

1.  For the pudding: In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch and 1 teaspoon of milk together until smooth.

2.  Place the remaining milk into a medium saucepan and add the cornstarch/milk mixture, whisking until smooth.

3. Whisk in the maple syrup and a pinch of salt.

4. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring frequently.

5. As soon as the mixture begins to thicken (a couple of minutes), remove it from the heat and pour into a medium bowl or four ramekins.

6. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled and set. (1-2 hours or so.)

7.  For the spiced pecans: In a small skillet over medium heat, cook the sugar and pecans, stirring frequently, until the sugar is melted and the pecans are browned, about 5 minutes.

8. Stir in the cinnamon, a few gratings of nutmeg, a big pinch of smoked paprika, a pinch of salt, and the butter.

9. As soon as the butter is melted and has coated the nuts, remove from the heat and pour the nuts onto a plate to cool. They may stick together somewhat; simply break up the clusters with your hands at serving time.

10.  Place about 2 tablespoons of the nuts on each portion of maple pudding and serve.

Source: Directly from Herbivoracious.

This cookie is not an original one.  I will tell you, however, that it’s one of my favorite go-to peanut butter cookie recipes.  The base recipe is soft, peanut buttery, and chewy.  I had originally posted an M&M version of this cookie a few months ago, and they were a giant hit.  So, when I realized that I had half a bag of Reeses miniature cups in my pantry that I needed to use before I singlehandedly ate them in one sitting, I figured I would try to make this delightful little peanut butter cookie a little bit more peanut buttery with those chopped Reeses cups. Oh, and some extra semisweet chocolate chunks because…well…you know.  What’s better than chocolate and peanut butter together?

Like I said, this base recipe is pretty amenable to any sort of add-in that you may want.  The dough holds up well, doesn’t spread around too much, and has a great flavor to complement any kind of extra addition:  M&M’s, nuts, candy, you name it….it’s all good.  I’m sure I will be adding to my armamentarium of peanut butter cookie varieties with this one.  It’s a keeper.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Reeses Cup Cookies

Servings: about 24 cookies

Ingredients

1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons milk

One 6-ounce bag semisweet chocolate chunk pieces

6 ounces (1/2 bag) miniature Reeses cups, chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking soda, whisking until combined.  Set aside.

4. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium high speed until smooth, about 1 minute.

5. Add the sugars and peanut butter, mixing until smooth, about 2-3 minutes.

6. Reduce the mixer speed and add the egg, vanilla, and milk, mixing until completely combined.

7. Using a rubber spatula, gently stir in the chocolate chunks and the chopped Reeses cups.

8. Drop the cookie dough by rounded tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets and bake the cookies until lightly golden around the edges, about 10 minutes.  Let cool completely.

Source:  Adapted from Pennies on a Platter, originally adapted from Baking Junkie.

I’m a fan of mint and chocolate.  Especially dark chocolate and mint.  So, it wasn’t a big chore for me to make a batch of dark chocolate cupcakes and pipe them with some creamy mint buttercream frosting.  Topped with some leftover mint-flavored chocolate from the holidays?  Well, ok, if you twist my arm……

The cupcake base here is completely versatile, and I had been dying to make it.  It’s from Cooks Illustrated, so I knew it had to be good.  Flavorful, moist, full of chocolatey goodness…yep, it’s a keeper of a cupcake recipe.  The good news?  You can switch it up with endless add-ins, frostings, and flavor pairings.  (And the chocolate chips in the batter make it just that much better.)

And this frosting? Well, it’s a smooth and creamy buttercream with a little more saltiness than the usual expected pinch, but, paired with the mint flavoring-it’s just about near heaven.

As far as the little decorative topping: I had slightly over-ordered some mint-flavored white and dark chocolate candy melts for some holiday projects.  I had a leftover bag of each in my pantry, calling my name to be used up, so that’s just what I did.  Melted down and piped through a small pastry tip in random designs, it ended up being a pretty and tasty little decorative garnish for the cupcakes.  It added a little bit of extra mint flavor to the overall theme, but if you don’t have any of those on hand, just use chocolate chips instead.

Dark Chocolate Mint Chip Cupcakes

Servings: approximately 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips

1 cup cocoa powder

1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

4 large eggs

1 and 1/2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup sour cream

5 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips (for your add-ins)

For the frosting:

5 cups powdered sugar

12 tablespoons (1 and 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

8 tablespoons heavy cream

5 teaspoons vanilla

1 and 1/2 teaspoons mint extract

1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt

Green food coloring gel

For the garnish:

One 12-ounce bag dark chocolate mint candy melts

One 12-ounce bag white chocolate mint candy melts

Instructions

1. For the cupcakes:  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Line two cupcake pans with the paper liners of your choosing.

3.  In a large heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, combine the butter, 4 ounces of chocolate chips and cocoa powder, whisking until melted and smooth.  Set aside until cool to the touch.

4. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder.

5. In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs on medium-high speed until light yellow and smooth, about 1-2 minutes.

6. Add the sugar, vanilla, and salt to the eggs, mixing well.

7. Add the cooled chocolate mixture to the egg mixture, mixing until completely combined and smooth.

8. Reduce the mixer speed to low, and, adding in one-third increments, alternately add the flour mixture and the sour cream in three separate additions, mixing well after each.

9. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the remaining 5 ounces of bittersweet chocolate chips until completely incorporated.

10. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cupcake pans and bake, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes.  Let cool completely before frosting.

11. For the frosting:  In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the powdered sugar and butter on medium to medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

12. Add the remaining ingredients, including the food coloring gel, until your desired consistency and color is reached.  Pipe as desired onto your cupcakes.

13. For the white/dark chocolate mint garnish:  In a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, melt the candy melts (one bag at a time), until smooth.

14.  Let cool slightly before placing in your pastry bag.

15. Pipe designs onto parchment paper, let sit, undisturbed, for about 1-2 hours to allow chocolate to set.  Decorate the cupcakes as desired.

Sources:  Cupcakes adapted from Cooks Illustrated, frosting from Tracey’s Culinary Adventures (originally from Whoopie Pies).