Iced Cacao Nib Latte

When I started drinking coffee in high school, I loved Starbucks mocha frappuccinos. I stopped drinking the frappuccinos when I went vegan, because the frappuccino mix contained milk.

When I was experimenting with adding chocolate to my Greek Frappe, I ended up making something that reminded me of a Starbucks frappuccino. It's not blended, but the coldness and the chocolate and sweetened coffee flavor reminded me of a frappuccino.

The cacao nibs add a nice texture and subtle chocolate flavor. If you do not have cacao nibs, just substitute in some dark chocolate, like dark chocolate chips or a square of dark chocolate.

Recipe: Mocha Frappuccino?

For Coffee Part:

• 2 teaspoons instant coffee (I used Mount Hagen, decaf.)
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons hot water

Whisk until golden brown and creamy. I whisk by hand and it takes a few minutes.

For Milk Part:

• 3/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons raw shelled sunflower seeds (or raw cashews, almonds, whatever you have)
• 1.5 teaspoons cacao nibs (sub chocolate chips or dark chocolate square)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Blend water and sunflower seeds until smooth. Strain with a fine mesh sieve. Add back to the blender with cacao nibs and vanilla extract. Blend again for a few seconds or so.

Put it all together:

Fill a glass 3/4 with ice. Add milk mixture, then coffee mixture. Stir with a straw or spoon and serve!

Ginger Chocolate Chunk Scones

Happy Easter! I love holidays that give me an excuse to bake something special. I got the idea for these scones from Isa's Ginger Chocolate Chunk Scones and adapted my scone recipes from 2013: Apple Spice Scones and Toffee and Chocolate Chunk Scones.

I used frozen olive oil in place of the nondairy butter or coconut oil, because it's the only oil I have, and I used sunflower seed cream instead of cashew or coconut cream, because it's what I have.

You want everything to be cold, so that is why I froze the olive oil first and used cold sunflower seed cream. To freeze the olive oil, place in a plastic container in the freezer for about an hour. It should be congealed but still soft. You can even refrigerate the dry ingredients while you wait for the olive oil to freeze. Keeping the dough cold will result in a lighter, flakier scone.

Ginger Chocolate Chunk Scones:

2 cups white whole wheat flour (whole wheat pastry or all-purpose would work too)
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch nutmeg

1/4 cup frozen olive oil (can sub 1/4 cup coconut oil or 5 tablespoons nondairy butter)
1 cup sunflower seed cream (recipe below), cold (can sub 1 cup full-fat coconut milk or cashew cream)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate (3 ounces of chocolate)

For the sunflower seed cream:
1/2 cup sunflower seeds, soaked overnight (or soaked in just-boiled water for 30 minutes, in a time crunch)
3/4 cup cold water
Drain sunflower seeds, and blend seeds and water until smooth.

Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly oil.

Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and spices in a medium-sized bowl (use the bowl of an electric stand mixer, if available). Cut frozen olive oil into dry ingredients with a pastry cutter, two knives or your fingertips (if using an electric stand mixer, mix with a paddle). Add dark chocolate chunks and stir to combine. Add sunflower seed cream and vanilla extract and mix until just-combined.

Liberally flour a clean surface and flour hands. Form dough into a 9-inch circle. Cut into 8 pieces. Carefully transfer pieces to prepared baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes until scone springs back to the touch. Let cool for several minutes on baking sheet and then transfer to a cooling rack.

Serve with Dalgona Coffee / Greek Frappe.

Yield: 8 scones

Dalgona Coffee / Greek Frappe

Here is my version of the Dalgona Coffee / Greek Frappe. When I was in college, I studied in Athens for a semester, and I loved ordering Greek frappes. I have never been able to successfully recreate it, but this Dalgona Coffee is the closest I've gotten.

I edited the recipe, because 2 tablespoons of instant coffee was too much for me.

Recipe: Dalgona Coffee / Greek Frappe

• 2 teaspoons instant coffee (I used Mount Hagen, decaf.)
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons hot water

Whisk until golden brown and creamy. I used a stand mixer, but I probably could have just whisked by hand with a whisk. (It did not get as golden brown / creamy when I used the smaller amount, but it tasted just as good.)

Fill a cup halfway or so with ice, add 1 cup of milk, and add coffee mixture on top. Mix and serve!

*I used sunflower seed milk. My recipe is 3/4 cup of water + 2 tbsp. sunflower seeds. Blend until smooth and strain with a fine mesh sieve.