Torta Sbrisolona

Back in 2011, I made a Torta Sbrisolona, and we really liked it. It was supposedly a dessert, but we treated it more like a sweet bread - one that you might eat for breakfast or with tea or in a cafe. Again, it was another recipe that used animal products, so I no longer could eat it. Given that the remaining child at home had the same exact complaints (it has nuts and is crunchy), but the adults loved it, I'd say my vegan version is a success!

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp ground flax meal
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cup medium yellow cornmeal (I used Bob's Red Mill medium cornmeal)
2/3 cup fine yellow cornmeal (I used Alber's cornmeal)
1 cup chopped almonds
1 cup caster sugar or baker's sugar
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 cup vegan butter, cubed, plus extra for greasing
sifted icing or powdered sugar for dusting


Directions:

1. Whisk the 3 tablespoons flax meal with 1/2 cup water and 1 tablespoon vanilla. Place in refrigerator for 15 minutes.
2. Heat the oven to 350ºF and grease a 10 in round or square cake pan. 
3. In a very large mixing bowl (minimum 6 quarts, bigger is better), combine the plain wheat flour, the two cornmeals, plus the almonds, sugar and lemon zest.
4. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
5. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the flax and vanilla mixture. 
6. Give it a brief stir, then quickly finish working the dry ingredients into the wet using your hands to give a solid, pastry-like dough. Do not knead the dough; work it until it only just comes together.
7. Press the dough into the prepared pan to no more than 1" - 1 1/2" depth. Smooth the surface over a little but leave it dimpled as this will enhance the crumbly texture. 
8. Bake for 35-45 minutes until the top is just starting to brown. 
9. Leave the cake to cool in the pan. 
10. Dust with sifted icing sugar and break into chunks to serve.

Other details:

• Serves 8-12.
• This cake is traditionally smashed in the center to be devoured in crumbling chunks with sticky wines or grappa.
• Hazelnuts are sometimes used in place of, or in conjunction with, the almonds.

Double Chocolate Fudge Cookies (Vegan)

When I used to follow the Phil Plait, the Bad Astronomer, he posted a Double Chocolate Fudge Cookie recipe that I enjoyed quite a bit, and reproduced here. I liked them so much that I wanted to make a vegan version. I had to try a couple times to get the correct ingredients, but this is a good replication. Whenever something could be vegan, presume a vegan version, ie chocolate.

Ingredients:

18 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, (1.5 bags)
4 oz unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees farenheit. 
3. Place 12 ounces (1 bag) chocolate chips in a large microwavable bowl (glass is best). Microwave on high 30 seconds then stir, repeat until chips are melted and smooth. 
4. Beat sugar, vanilla, and applesauce in a large bowl until thick. 
5. Add melted chocolate and beat until blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. 
6. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in medium bowl and slowly add to the wet chocolate mixture, beating until blended. 
7. Stir in the remaining 6 oz (half bag) of chocolate chips by hand (the dough will be very hard.)
8. Roll by hand into 1-2 tablespoon size balls and place 2 inches a part on the parchment lined sheet.
9. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until cookies are just cooked enough to hold together. 
10. Cool by pulling parchment paper off the cookie sheets and placing on cool counter top until cookies are firm, then move to wire racks to finish cooling completely.

Notes:

• Makes about 2 dozen.

Strawberry Sweet Wine Compote Cake Bites

I loved these so much I made them for several events last summer. I based the recipe off One Green Planet's recipe. These use a mini-cupcake tin, which is a perfect bite-sized dessert.


Ingredients:
Strawberry Wine Compote:
1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries (hulled and quartered)
1/2- 3/4 cup sweet wine, such as Riesling, Moscato, Gewürztraminer, or another sweet wine

1/4 cup sugar 

Cupcakes:
3/4 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

baking spray

Sweet Wine Frosting:
1/4 cup vegan margarine, room temperature
1/4 cup vegan shortening
3-3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons sweet wine of your choice (see above) 

Additional fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered

Additional powdered sugar

Directions:
To Make the Compote:

1. Combine the strawberries, wine and sugar in a small pot and heat over medium high heat. The amount of wine depends on your taste. The 3/4 cup measure will provide a fuller flavor, but it will take a little bit longer for the compote to cook down.
2. Bring the compote to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer. Let the compote simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The liquid should have reduced by about 3/4 and all of the strawberries should be broken down. 
3. Set aside and allow to cool.

To Make the Cupcakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a mini cupcake tin with baking spray.
2. Use a whisk or a fork to mix the apple cider vinegar into the almond milk. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk or sift the mixture together.
4. Add the oil, sugar and vanilla to the almond milk mixture. Mix well and add to the flour mixture. 
5. Use a whisk to beat the mixture for a minute, getting rid of lumps. (Electronic mixers are good for this.)
6. Pour the strawberry wine compote into the batter and use a spatula to fold it in. Do not completely mixed, you want ribbons of the compote throughout the cupcakes.
7. Pour batter into each cupcake cup about half-full or so and bake for 9-11 minutes, until the cupcakes are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 
8. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the tin for about 10-15 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely. 

To Make the Frosting:

1. Use an electric mixer to cream the margarine and the shortening together, beating for about 2 minutes. 
2. Add the powdered sugar half a cup at a time with the mixer on low. 
3. After 2 cups of powdered sugar are added, add 2 tablespoons of wine. 
4. Add 1 more cup of powdered sugar. 
5. Beat for 2 minutes on high (as high as your mixer can go without frosting being flung all over your kitchen!). Taste the frosting, add more sugar or wine as needed.
6. Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, frost them with a butter knife or using a pastry bag. 
7. Dust with powdered sugar for a pretty presentation.
8. Store covered at room temperature.

Notes:

• If you are desperate, you can use frozen strawberries for the compote, but they will not make pretty toppings.
• Makes 48 mini-cupcakes, or so.
• By the way, I shared these with a large group of people that I did not tell they were vegan and then once they found out (because 1 person knew I was vegan and saw me eat one, they were amazed.)

Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Frosting

In search for a vegan lemon cupcake that could possibly replace the delicious Lemon Creme Lemon Cupcakes, I found a recipe at Vegan Cupcake Recipes. The problem is that the recipe is slightly poorly written and there's no creamy center like the cupcakes I've made. In addition, the images shown look like there's a lemon custard in the middle, but that's clearly added in for the photos and the recipe for it is not given. All those drawbacks aside, the cupcakes are delicious. I've fixed the recipe so they issues should be less of a problem. I'm still on the hunt for a vegan cupcake that has all the components of a lemon cream lemon cupcake.

Ingredients:
1 cup vegan margarine, softened
2 cups organic unbleached sugar
1/2 cup non-dairy yogurt
1/4 cup applesauce
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups vegan sour cream

Frosting
3 tablespoons vegan margarine, softened
2 1/4 cups organic unbleached sugar (what the recipe calls for, but I need to try it with powdered sugar)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1-2 tablespoons soy milk (or other non-dairy milk)


Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl, cream margarine and organic unbleached sugar.
2. Mix in yogurt and applesauce.
3. Add lemon peel and vanilla, and continue to mix well.
4. In a second bowl, combine dry ingredients. 
5. Add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream (batter will be thick).
6. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups with 1/4 cup of batter.
7. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
8. Cool for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool 
9. Frosting:
10. Cream margarine and organic unbleached sugar in large mixing bowl. 
11. Add lemon juice, vanilla, lemon peel, and soy milk; whip until smooth. This may take awhile as I never got it with granulated sugar to be smooth.
12. Frost cupcakes.

Notes:

• As I noted, either powdered sugar needs to be used in the frosting, which I haven't tried yet, OR you have to whip for a very long time to get nice smooth frosting.

Zucchini Bread

Years and years ago, probably close to two decades in fact, I needed a zucchini bread recipe because someone had grown zucchini and gifted me with more than any person should have. I found this recipe, probably via Allrecipes.com because many of our recipes from that stage of our life did. This one was called "Zucchini Bread IV." I probably found some other recipes, too. This one is fairly easy to make with usually baking items in a well-stocked kitchen. You will note there are walnuts. Below, I show two loaves - a taller one without walnuts (because my Longaberger bread pan makes that shape) and a shorter one with walnuts (because my Bolesławiec bread pan, care of the "Babe collection," makes that shape). My children do not like nuts in their bread, so I made them one loaf without nuts. Conveniently, this recipe makes two loaves, so I simply stirred walnuts into the batter after pouring both pans.

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all purpose flour
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325o. 
2. Grease and flour two 8x4” loaf pans. 
3. In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and frothy. 
4. Mix in oil and sugar. 
5. Stir in zucchini and vanilla. 
6. Combine flour, cinnamon, soda, baking powder, salt and nuts in a large bowl; then stir into the egg mixture. 
7. Divide batter into prepared pans. 
8. Bake for 60 to 70 min, or until done.

Notes:

• Serves 24.  
• 231  Calories per slice.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Another version of these same whole wheat chocolate chip cookies. Yum!

Ingredients: 
3/4 cup sugar 
3/4 cup packed brown sugar 
1 cup Earth Balance (2 sticks), softened 
1 teaspoon vanilla 
1/4 cup applesauce
2 cups whole wheat flour 
1 teaspoon baking soda 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1 pkg (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

Directions: 

1. Heat oven to 375.  
2. Mix sugars, butter, vanilla, and egg in large bowl.  
3. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt.  
4. Stir in chocolate chip cookies.  
5. Form 1-2" balls of dough and drop about 2” apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.  
6. Bake approximately 10 min or until light brown. 
7. Cool slightly until you can remove from sheet without disturbing cookie shape; remove from cookie sheet.  
8. Cool on wire rack.            

Notes:

• Makes ~3 dozen. 
• Prep: 10 min           
• Total: 20 min 
• You may want to use less than the entire package of chocolate chips.

Chunky Cinnamon Bites with Cream Cheese Icing

I don't recall where I got the recipe I made in 2011, but it was easy and a keeper. I've been working towards making the stuff I love vegan. I've renamed this because, like the first time, it doesn't really hold together well, so you don't need to pull it apart. The bites pull apart, though. 

Ingredients:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
16 oz refrigerated biscuits 
1/2 cup Earth Balance, melted and divided

4 oz Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
1/2 - 3/4 cup powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsp almond milk

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 350.
2. Separate biscuit dough into individual biscuits and cut each one into quarters.
3. Mix cinnamon and sugar in a gallon zipper bag. Shake dough quarters in the cinnamon sugar by batches, until coated.
4. Place half the biscuits in a greased 12-cup Bundt pan.
5. Drizzle with half the melted butter (1/4 cup).
6. Top with remaining biscuit quarters, and the remaining melted butter.
7. Top off the unbaked biscuit pile with remaining cinnamon sugar mixture.
8. Bake 40-45 minutes or until golden.
9. While letting the cinnamon bites sit for 5 minutes in the bundt pan, make the icing.
10. Icing: Beat softened cream cheese and powdered sugar until well blended. For a more tangy icing, use closer to 1/2 cup powdered sugar. For a sweeter icing, use 3/4 cup or more powdered sugar. 
11. Add 1-2 Tbsp milk as necessary, beating until desired consistency is reached.
12. Invert the bundt pan with cinnamon bites onto a plate. 
13. Drizzle the icing over the warm loaf.

Notes:

• I used Immaculate biscuits, as seen in the photo. 

Vegan Finnish Oven Pancakes

As adults, we often have to change our diets from the foods of our childhood. But those will always be precious to us. When I went vegan, I thought I would not be eating Finnish Oven Pancakes again. I was thrilled to find a vegan pannukakku recipe. It isn't quite the same consistency, but it is close. And the sweetness and flavor is pretty close. I've modified some of it to be more similar to the Finnish Oven Pancakes my mom made and I grew up eating. 

Ingredients:
3/4 cup silken tofu (soft)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
2 cups vanilla almond milk
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 Tbsp melted coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla 
cinnamon-sugar mix 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450^o degrees.
2. Spray a 9 x 13 baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
3. Place tofu, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Process until smooth.
4. Slowly add milk while the processor is running.
5. Add the flour all at once then pulse a few times to combine.
6. Add melted coconut oil and vanilla. Pulse once more.
7. Pour batter on the baking sheet, being sure it is evenly spread.
8. Bake for 30 minutes until golden.
9. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mix over the top.
10. Serve with maple syrup and your desired toppings.

Notes:

• Makes 4 slices (which is really 2 servings.)

Peanut Butter Cookies

Looking for very peanut buttery peanut butter cookies? Look no farther. I modified these from a recipe we've been making since we were married. It's a very easy recipe. 

Ingredients:
½ cup softened Earth Balance butter
½ cup peanut butter (only nuts, no other ingredients)
½ cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 Ener-G egg or flax egg (1 Tbsp flax meal)
water
1 ¼ cup flour
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Soften butter as long as necessary.
2. Make the Ener-G egg or flax egg.
3. Preheat oven to 350º.
4. Cream butter, sugars, peanut butter, and Ener-G egg together.
5. Stir in dry ingredients. 
6. Roll into balls and distribute on cookie sheet. 
7. Dip fork in four and crisscross over each cookie ball. 
8. Bake at 350º for 10 to 12 minutes. 
9. Watch! These go from not-quite-done to overdone in less than 1 minute!

Note:

• Both the Ener-G egg and flax egg work. However, the Ener-G egg lets the peanut butter flavor shine through more.

Spicy Walnut Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp ground flax meal
6 Tbsp water
1 1/3 cup sugar 
1/3 cup vegetable oil 
2 cups flour 
1 tsp. baking soda 
1/2 tsp. baking powder 
Dash salt 
1/2 tsp. cinnamon 
1/2 tsp. ginger 
1/2 tsp. ground cloves 
1 grated zucchini (grocery store size)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions: 

1. Add flax meal to water, whisk, and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350.
3. Beat sugar into flax meal. 
4. Add oil and mix well. 
5. Sift together dry ingredients. 
6. Stir dry ingredients to wet.
7. Stir in zucchini. 
8. Beat until batter is very smooth.
9. Stir in walnuts.
10. Pour into greased 9x5 loaf pan. 
11. Bake for 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into middle turns out clean. 
12. Turn out onto wire rack to cool.

Notes:

If you have home grown zucchinis, use 1 cup grated zucchini.

Spicy Zucchini Bread

It's zucchini season. Time for some zucchini bread!

Ingredients:
2 eggs 
1 1/3 cup sugar 
1/3 cup vegetable oil 
2 cups flour 
1 tsp. baking soda 
1/2 tsp. baking powder 
Dash salt 
1/2 tsp. cinnamon 
1/2 tsp. ginger 
1/2 tsp. ground cloves 
1 grated zucchini (grocery store size)

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Beat eggs. 
3. Beat sugar into eggs. 
4. Add oil and mix well. 
5. Sift together dry ingredients. 
6. Add wet ingredients to dry.
7. Stir in zucchini. 
8. Beat until batter is very smooth.
9. Pour into greased 9x5 loaf pan. 
10. Bake for 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into middle turns out clean. 
11. Turn out onto wire rack to cool.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yum! These cookies are so easy to make. Throw in the wet stuff, mix, throw in the dry stuff, mix, put on cookie sheet, bake for 10 minutes, cookies! Also, I made two different types. I made the original recipe and these. The omnivore family went by and couldn't tell the difference between the two. 

Ingredients: 
3/4 cup sugar 
3/4 cup packed brown sugar 
1 cup Earth Balance (2 sticks), softened 
1 teaspoon vanilla 
1 Ener-G egg 
2 cups whole wheat flour 
1 teaspoon baking soda 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1 pkg (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

Directions: 

1. Heat oven to 375.  
2. Mix sugars, butter, vanilla, and egg in large bowl.  
3. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt.  
4. Stir in chocolate chip cookies.  
5. Form 1-2" balls of dough and drop about 2” apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.  
6. Bake approximately 10 min or until light brown. 
7. Cool slightly until you can remove from sheet without disturbing cookie shape; remove from cookie sheet.  
8. Cool on wire rack.            

Notes:

• Makes ~3 dozen. 
• Prep: 10 min           
• Total: 20 min 
• You may want to use less than the entire package of chocolate chips.

Maple Cinnamon Rolls

Off the bat, nothing compares to Preston Rolls (original and vegan.) But, if you need something a little easier to make - like so much easier and less pressing, these fit the bill. They are also a different type of cinnamon roll. 

These should be served warm and as fresh out of the oven as possible. You can do most of the prep the night before and finish putting the rolls together and baking the next day - or a couple days down the road if you have a lot of baking/cooking ahead of you. It is okay to freeze these as well. 

Ingredients:

1 quart almond milk

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup sugar

2 packages Active Dry Yeast, 0.25 Ounce Packets

8 cups (Plus 1 Cup Extra, Separated) All-purpose Flour

1 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder

1 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda

1 Tablespoon (heaping) Salt

additional flour

1/2 lbs (2 sticks) Earth Balance

1.5 - 2 cups sugar

cinnamon

Maple Frosting

2 lbs powdered sugar

2 teaspoons Maple Extract

1/2 cup almond milk

1/4 cup brewed coffee

1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. Heat until steaming heavily. Turn off heat and leave to cool to lukewarm, 30 - 60 minutes.
2. Once mixture is lukewarm, transfer to a mixing bowl. Add both packages of Active Dry Yeast across the top. (Not a single pile.) Let this sit for a minute. 
3. Add 8 cups of all-purpose flour, slowly. Stir mixture together.  For first 4-5 cups, use regular mixing arm. Use dough hook once dough starts for form. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.
4. After rising for at least an hour, add 1 more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir mixture together. (At this point, you could cover the dough and refrigerate until you need it. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to overflow out of the pan, just punch it down).
5. To prepare rolls: Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. 
6. Take half the dough and place on floured surface. Roll the dough in a rectangular shape (longer side nearest you) and thinning the dough. 
7. Drizzle 1 stick or so melted butter over the dough. Then sprinkle 3/4 to 1 cup of sugar over the Earth Balance followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.
8. Roll the dough lengthwise on the long side of the rectangle (so you have a long roll of buns rather than a short and very fat stick.)
9. Use cooking spray or extra Earth Balance to grease pans. Cut the rolls approximately 1 inch thick and place in the buttered pans.
10. Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for about 30 minutes, then bake at 375 degrees until light golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Check often.
11. For the frosting, mix together all ingredients listed and stir well until smooth. Viscosity will vary. Thicker is better, as long as it pours. Taste and adjust as needed. Pour over the rolls.

Notes:

• You can also add other fillings, such as chocolate chunks or caramel. 
• You could also line your baking pans with foil, and turn them upside down after the frosting has soaked in. This creates more of a sticky bun feel.

Banana Bread

Prior to learning I was allergic to bananas (the hard way), we used to collect banana bread recipes that we thought were especially good. I don't know where this one came from; we've had it for over a decade. Note that when it says bundt pan, it means bundt pan. I lost my bundt pan, so I tried to make it in bread pans. That doesn't work. You must use a bundt pan for this one.

Ingredients:
2 sticks butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
3 eggs
2 ripe bananas, mashed
4 cups + 2 tbsp flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cup sour cream
non-stick cooking spray or butter and flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Spray bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray or grease and flour the pan.
3. Cream butter and sugar together in a stand mixer.
4. Add eggs one at a time, beating for a few seconds after each addition.
5. Add mashed bananas and beat.
6. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
7. Add dry ingredients and sour cream alternately to the banana mixture in the stand mixer. Beat well until all combined.
8. Transfer dough into bundt pan.
9. Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
10. Invert onto a cooling rack, and allow cake to cool slightly before slicing and serving.

Notes:

• You really do have to use a bundt pan. 
• I would have shown you an actual slice, but my kids were eating them already.

Apple Sauce

I halved the recipe because I wanted only 3/4 cups and not to use a lot of apples. Turned out tasty for eating or for use in a recipe. Follow directions sans sugar and spice for "unsweetened" applesauce.

I love the steam coming off the freshly made applesauce, but allow to cool before eating or using.

Ingredients:

4 apples - peeled, cored and chopped

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup white sugar (sugar in the raw?)

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, combine apples, water, sugar, and cinnamon. Cover, and cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until apples are soft. 
2. Allow to cool, then mash with a fork or potato masher.

Notes:
Original Recipe

Homemade Lemonade

A great summertime drink, my son and I made homemade lemonade together. What fun!

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
4 cups cold water to dilute
extra lessons for slicing

Directions:

1. Extract the juice from 4-6 lemons to get a cup of lemon juice.
2. Heat the sugar in the cup of water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Add the juice and sugar water to a pitcher. Dilute to desired strength with 3-4 cups of cold water. Refrigerate for half an hour, then serve.
4. Serve with ice and sliced lemons.

Other Notes:

• This is the starting ratio. You can scale up by doubling or tripling ingredients. 
• If it is too sweet, reduce the sugar by up to a quarter cup. 
• If using Meyer lemons, reduce the sugar to 3/4 cup : 1 cup lemon juice due to the high level of sweetness of Meyers.