The chocolate & wine nuts that you are about to experience have been crafted by hand and created from the heart with love – Dipping The Vine

The Nut Lady

I met a fun and fabulous new friend who has a truly original and irresistible online gourmet shop called Dipping The Vine. Her name is Andi Oakes and she makes artisanal nuts – gluten, dairy and peanut free!

We’re not just talking a bag of mixed nuts here, DTV (link to facebook page) features delightful recipes of chocolate, wine and other savory spices, mixed with the nuts to create a flavorful nosh to have with drinks, accompany a cheese plate, dessert or just as a favorite snack.

The original idea came to Andi while in that open state of mind just before drifting off to sleep – although she was more than satisfied with the menu she’d prepared for a dinner party she was to cater the follow evening, this sudden thought of adding a chocolate and wine cocktail nut to the courses, just couldn’t be ignored. So she got up out of bed and started mixing and baking until – Voilà:Dipping The Vine was born!

I met Andi, appropriately in wine country, at a wedding in Napa Valley CA; although she resides in NY, so we conducted our interview via e-mail:

T & T: So, how long were you in the kitchen before the right recipe was met that night?

Andi: When the idea for chocolate and wine cocktail nuts popped into my head, I started experimenting at 11pm -The batch that hit the mark was at around 1:30 in the morning!

T & T: How long did it take to start marketing the product after they became a hit at the party?

Andi: I obtained my business license about 2 months after the party and then began dropping samples and business cards off at various vineyard tasting rooms, wine bars, cheese shops, anything that I felt was a click with the nuts.

Then I started taking photos and working on text for the online store, dippingthevine.com which took another couple of months. Marketing is really an ongoing process and I’m learning how important it is to stay active with it as much as possible – I learn something new just about every day

T & T: At this point you feature 3 varieties of Dipping The Vine mixes:

• The original recipe of Mixed Nuts with Red Wine, Cocoa & Spices: Walnuts, almond and pecans are coated in full-bodied red wine, earthy cocoa, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and fresh lemon zest.
• Cashews with White Wine, Cocoa & Curry: A bit more on the savory side, large raw cashews are blissfully coated with crisp white wine, cocoa powder and a tingling array of curry spices.
• Hazelnuts with Port Wine, Black Cocoa & Espresso: Natural hazelnuts are coated in rich port wine, black cocoa, espresso with a touch of fresh orange peel.

T & T cont: (All available I see, in a handy 3-pack).  Are you in the process of trying out new combinations?  And if so, anything you are ready to reveal at this time?

Andi: Absolutely! Right now I’m celebrating my second holiday season and it’s fantastically busy – I will keep the original three flavors through the new year and then when things quiet down a bit, I’ll have more time to experiment with new flavors. I plan on doing an Asian inspired cashew with cocoa, ginger and wasabi which is spiked with sake. And a sort of “romantic” almond with dark cocoa, lavender and champagne. The third new flavor is up in the air but I’m pretty sure it’s going to involve chocolate and Mexican chilies!

T &T: All of those sound amazing! Think I’m most intrigued by the lavender and champagne.
a: What is the hardest part of running an online culinary business?  b: What is the most satisfying part of running an online culinary business?

Andi: a) Getting it all done. In addition to hand-producing the product, I also do my own packaging, which is almost as labor-intensive as the nut making! Then there’s packing supplies, bookkeeping, invoicing and always being ready for orders at all times which absolutely have to be fresh.

b) When a customer tells me how much they enjoy the nuts or that they were a hit at a party or a perfect gift, all of the hard work is worth it. Upon tasting the nuts for the first time, one woman’s eyes lit up and she said “They taste like LOVE!”-I’ll never forget it.

T & T: Do you still cater private parties?

Andi: When I have time, I will still cater private parties mainly because I love it. I really enjoy personalizing events -The planning, the execution, even the hectic moments are so rewarding when a vision becomes a reality.

T &T: Anything else you’d like Tinsel & Tine readers to know about you and Dipping The Vine?

Andi: I guess that Dipping The Vine Chocolate & Wine Nuts go really well with a movie

T &T: What is your favorite Holiday Movie?

Andi: I’m still a sucker for Rudolph!

I would like to assure my readers that this is NOT a paid post. I met Andi, we hit it off, and I felt highlighting her business would be a perfect holiday post for Tinsel & Tine.  However, if you do try Dipping The Vine nuts or purchase a gift certificate for someone on your shopping list, I’d love for you to let me know.

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 Tbsp. butter

3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

¼ tsp. baking powder

2 eggs

2/3 cups sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups chopped macadamia nuts

1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate pieces

In a saucepan cook and stir bittersweet chocolate and butter over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove pan from heat and cool about 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350^◦ F. Line two large cookie sheets with foil or parchment paper; set aside.

In a bowl combine flour and baking powder; set aside. In a mixing bowl beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed about 5 minutes or until mixture is thickened and pale yellow.  Gently stir in flour mixture and cooled chocolate.  Gently stir in nuts and chocolate pieces.

Immediately, using a small cookie scoop (1 ½ inches in diameter), drop dough in mounds 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheets.  (Dough will thicken as it stands.)

Bake both sheets of cookies at the same time on separate racks from 8 to 9 minutes or until edges are set but centers are soft, reversing sheet to opposite racks halfway through baking.  Completely cool cookies on sheets on wire racks.  Peel cooled cookies off the foil or parchment paper.

Makes 40 cookies

2 (14-oz.) containers premium chocolate ice cream

2 cups milk

¾ to 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. orange zest

1 cup bourbon

Pulse first 4 ingredients in a blender until smooth. Stir in bourbon. Serve immediately over ice. Garnish with orange rind curls

Makes: 7 cups

• 14 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1 & 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• pinch of salt

Beat sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Add cooled chocolate mixture and mix until well blended.

Sift together flour and salt. Add to chocolate mixture, mixing gently until well combined.

Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake 30-33 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only dry crumbs. Cool on rack for 1 hour before cutting into bars.

Makes 12-16 brownies.

Bake or Break. Recipe from Fat Witch Brownies

The crepes are chocolate but they do not have any sugar in them. Before you say I am mad consider that the crepes are going to be filled with bananas which are naturally very sweet. Along with bananas there is a rich, bitter-sweet, chocolate mascarpone filling, and once plated the crepes are dusted with powdered sugar. With all that sweetness the crepes themselves needed to be bitter to provide a nice contrast in flavor.

If you love chocolate and bananas then you need to make this recipe. Click here to read more…

Chocolate Lovin' Cake

Recipe by Culinary Cara:
Fall In Love with Chocolate All Over Again with Cara’s Lovin’ Cake. Chocolate is perhaps the most ancient indulgence in human existence. The Aztecs regarded chocolate as a food of the royals because of it’s rich and velvety texture. Simply uttering te word “chocolate” will put a smile on any face, old or young. This recipe will make you fall in love with chocolate as if you took your first bite of the sweet goodness. I call it “Lovin’ Cake” and it’s an old recipe I developed since I was a teenager. I also infuse the flavors of Mexican style chocolate with the combination of cocoa and cinnamon. The buttermilk adds a great richness to the cake as well.

Cake Ingredients:
2 sticks Butter
5 tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 cup Water
2 cups Granulated Sugar
2 cups Flour
1 ¼ teaspoons Cinnamon
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
2 Eggs, beaten
½ cup Buttermilk
1 ½ teaspoons Vanilla Extract

Glaze Ingredients:
½ cup Butter
4 tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
6 tablespoons Milk (whole is best)
2 cups Powdered Sugar
1 ½ teaspoons Vanilla Extract

Garnish Ingredients:
1 cup Chopped Pecans or Walnuts (optional)

Instructions:
To make a sheet cake (13×9), prepare baking pan with non-stick spray or butter & flour method, and preheat oven to 375ºF. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick test comes out clean. I recommend using a pyrex baking pan for this.

To make a bundt cake (9 inch), prepare pan the same as before, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for about 50 minutes on middle rack, or until a toothpick test comes out clean.

Cake: In a double boiler, melt the butter and blend in the cocoa and water until smooth. Sift the flour, sugar, cinnamon and baking soda in a large mixing bowl and add the butter/cocoa mixture and blend thoroughly. Add beaten eggs and buttermilk until well incorporated. Stir in vanilla and pour batter into prepared baking vessel. Bake for designated time and temperature listed above.

Glaze: In a small saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add cocoa and whisk until completely smooth. Add milk and bring just to a boil. Remove from heat and whisk in sifted powdered sugar until completely smooth. Return saucepan to heat and allow sugar to dissolve, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Allow glaze to cool partially before applying to cake. Sprinkle top of cake with chopped pecans or walnuts after applying the glaze. This glaze is a bit thin, however you can thicken it a bit with cornstarch if you’d like.

Cara’s Thoughts:
Every time I make this cake, I even win over those who aren’t even chocolate fans, if you can imagine that! I enjoy making this cake for the holidays, but it’s great any time of year, especially when you want to indulge in true chocolatey goodness. Fall in love and feel like a royal at the same time!

Fudgy Peanut Butter M&M Cookies

Recipe by Sneh Roy:
I made this batch of low-fat, low-sugar cookies as part of my mid-week leisure baking sessions in an attempt to keep replenishing my dwindling supply of homemade cookies every other week. These are surprisingly delicious and chewy, considering there is very little in terms of sinful fat in them. The recipe has been adapted from Bill Granger’s “Everyday” cookbook. Go ahead, try it guilt free!

Details:
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Baking Time: 15 minutes
Makes: 22 cookies

Ingredients
1 ¼ cup plain flour
⅔ cup firmly packed soft brown sugar
2 tbsp unsalted butter
4 tbsp light chunky peanut butter
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
100g M&M’s

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Grease and line two cookie sheets with baking paper.

In a large bowl combine the sugar with vanilla extract, unsalted and peanut butter. Beat with a hand mixer until light and creamy. Add an egg and continue beating for another minute. In a separate bowl sieve the flour and baking powder. Add this to the egg mixture and mix well. Add the M&M’s and mix by hand using a wooden spoon.

Take 1 tbsp of cookie dough, roughly form a round in your palms and place on the prepared tray. Place the cookie dough at least 3cm apart to allow for expansion on baking. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 15 minutes until golden and cooked through. The cookies will still be soft at this stage. Remove from oven and cool completely on wire racks.

Sneh’s Tips:
Store in an air-tight container for upto 3 days. These cookies tend to go soggy quickly, but you don’t have to worry about storing them for a long time because they will be gone in a jiffy.