Welcome to Carleton Place Library’s Cookbook Book Club’s Digital Cookbook!
Cookbook Book Club meets on the first Wednesday of the month from September until June. To find out more about upcoming meetings, inlcuding each the theme for each month, check out our Programs & Events page.
Scroll down to visit some of our favorite recipies from club members!
Top Recipies from 2026
Secret Sweet Potato Chocolate Cake
Recipie brought to us by Julia Hawkins – Originaly found on instagram by thenutritionreporter!
This delicious, rich, and surprisingly delicious cake is packed with fiber and protein – making it a fantastic option for those who are looking to eat healthier, and still indulge.
Ingredients:
- Sweet potato (2 ½ cups cooked) (about 2 large)
- Ground almonds (almond flour) (1 ½ cups)
- Cocoa powder (unsweetened) (¾ cup)
- Tahini (½ cup)
- Maple syrup (½ cup)
- Coconut oil, melted (¼ cup)
- Baking powder (1 tsp)
- Vanilla extract (1 tsp)
- Pinch sea salt
- 85% dark chocolate (melted) (100g)
- Toppings! (I reccomend chopped pistachios and a ring of raspberries)
Recipie:
- Preheat oven to 180°C (170°C fan) and line a springform cake tin with baking paper.
- Wash the sweet potatoes, poke them with a fork and put them into the pre-heated oven for around 40-50 minutes until cooked. Once the potatoes are cooled, peel and add the flesh into a food processor. Blend until smooth.
- Melt the chocolate in the microwave or using a double boiler.
- In a large bowl, combine the blended sweet potato with the rest of the ingredients, including the melted chocolate and stir until thick and glossy. Or you can add all the ingredients into the food processor if it is big enough.
- Pour the batter into the cake tin and using the back of a spatula or metal spoon, press the batter down and smooth it out.
- Bake for 30-35 mins (should be fudgy, not dry).
- Leave to cool completely before removing from the tin. You can also place it in the fridge at this point to firm up a little more so it is easier to slice. Spread your chocolate and add your toppings on top!
Top Recipies Pre-2026
Alomond Toffee Honey Baked Brie
Recipie sourced from doorcountrycofffee.com
All you will need to complete this recipie is a small pot and a brie baker (or small casserole dish)
Ingredients:
- A round of brie cheese (16 oz.)
- Strong brewed almond toffee coffee (or caramel) (1/2 cup)
- Honey (3/4 cup)
- Maple syrup (2 tbsp)
- Apricop Preserves (1/2 cup)
- Sliced Almonds, toasted (1/4 cup)
Recipie:
-
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
- Place your wheel of brie in a 10-inch baking plate
- In a small pot, combine coffee, honey, and maple syrup
- Bright the mixture to a boil, and then cook it down until it’s about 1/2 the origonal volume
- Remove the mixture from the heat
- Top your brie with the apricot preserves and sliced toasted almonds
- Pour your honey/coffee/maple syrup mixture over the brie
- Bake in the oven for 10-15 minuites, until the cheese starts to melt
- Serve with crackers, baguette slices, and fresh apples
Coffee-Glazed Nuts
Recipie sourced from food.com
All you will need to complete this recipie is a medium pot and a baking sheet
Ingredients:
- Hot Water (2 tbsp)
- Instant Coffee (1.5 tsp)
- Granulated Sugar (1/4 cup)
- Honey (1 tbsp)
- Kosher Salt (1/2 tsp)
- Nuts (3 cups) (any kind!)
Recipie:
- Preheat your oven to 350 *F
- Line your baking sheet with aluminum foil
- Combine your water and instant coffee in a pot over heat – stir until all the coffee is disolved, then add the sugar, honey, and salt
- Bring this mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar is dissolved
- Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in your nuts (mix until nuts are compleatly coated)
- Spread your buts out on the baking sheet (should be a single layer)
- Bake for 5 minuites, then remove the nuts and stir them
- Bake for another 5 minuites, then remove the nuts and stir them once more
- Bake for a final 5 minuites, then remove the tray and set out to col compleatly
- Break the sugared nut mixture into peices, and store in an airtight container
Can be safely stored for up to a week on the counter
Chocolate Hummus
Recipie sourced from unknown
All you will need to complete this recipie is a food processor!
Ingredients:
- Chickpeas (1 tin) (drained and rinsed, peeled is also ideal)
- Honey (3 tbsp)
- Vanilla Extract (1/2 tsp)
- Cocao Powder (4 tbsp)
Recipie:
- Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth
- Add extra water if nessesary
- Serve with sliced apples, crackers, or biscuits!
Vanillekipferl (traditional German Christmas Cookies)
Ingredients:
- For the cookie dough:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spoon and level
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- ¾ cup finely ground almonds, or hazelnuts or walnuts
- 2 tsp vanilla extract (or 1/2 vanilla pod)
- For the sugar mixture:
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- ½ vanilla pod
Recipie:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine flour, salt, cubed butter, powdered sugar, nuts, and vanilla seeds. Mix at medium speed until a crumbly dough forms, about 1-2 minutes. If the dough is too crumbly add 1-2 Tbsp milk.
- Use your hands to press the dough together and wrap it in plastic wrap. Chill the dough for one hour in the fridge.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and line one or two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll the chilled dough into a log approximately ½ inch thick. Cut the log into 1 ½-inch pieces, form the pieces into small cylinders and taper the ends into dull points. Bend each one into a crescent shape. Place the Vanillekipferl on the baking sheet about 1 inch apart.
- Bake the Vanillekipferl one cookie sheet at a time for 12 to 15 min (depending on the size of the cookies) until the edges are golden. They should not brown.
- Scrape out vanilla pod and combine with powdered sugar. This works great in a small food processor. Sift the mixture over the hot Vanillekipferl. Let them cool completely then give them a second dusting.
- These cookies keep fresh for about 3 weeks in an airtight container stored in a cool place.
Quick Vegan Chocolate Pie
Recipie sourced from the spruceeats.com
All you will need to complete this recipie is a blender, and a double broiler OR microwave!
Ingredients:
- Tofu (silken) (1 container – 12oz)
- Chocolate Chips (1/2 cup)
- Peanut Butter (1/2 cup)
- Soy milk (2 tbsp)
- Pre-made pie crust (1)
Recipie:
- Melt your chocolate chips over low heat – stirring frequently so it doesn’t burn OR microwave your chocolate chips for 20 second incriments, stirring between increments, until fully melted
- Add your melted chocolate to the blender, along with all your other ingredients
- Blend until smooth (add extra soy milk if nessesary)
- Pour the mixture into your pie crust, and refrigerate until firm (at least 1 hour)
Guacamole
Recipie sourced from unknown!
Ingredients:
- 3 avocados, ripe
- ½ small yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lime, juiced
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- tortilla chips
Recipie:
- Slice the avocados in half, remove the pit, and scoop into a mixing bowl.
- Mash the avocado with a fork and make it as chunky or smooth as you’d like
- Add the remaining ingredients and stir together. Give it a taste test and add a pinch more salt or lime juice if needed.
- Serve the guacamole with tortilla chips.
Vietnamese Glass Dumplings
Recipie sourced from GreenBowl2Soul.com
All you will need to complete this recipie is a blender, and a double broiler OR microwave!
Ingredients:
- For the Dough:
- Tapioca flour (1.25 cups)
- Boiling water (1 cup)
- For the Filling:
- Split mung bean (¼ cup) (you can buy here)
- Shallot (1) (finely chopped)
- Spring onion greens (1 tbsp) (finely chopped)
- Ginger powder (¼ tsp)
- Salt (to taste)
- Ground black pepper (to taste)
- Water (2 cups)
- Vegetable oil (1 tsp) (or any other cooking oil)
- For the Chili Oil:
- Vegetable oil or canola oil (3 tbsp)
- Thai red chili (1) (finely chopped)
- Spring onion greens (1/4 cup) (finely chopped)
- For the sauce:
- Soy sauce/ tamari (1.5 tbsp)
- Light brown sugar/ palm sugar (1.5 tbsp)
- Water (3 tbsp)
Recipie:
Making the filling
- Wash mung beans and soak in boiling water for around 30 minutes.
- Put the soaked beans in a pot with around 2 cups of water.
- Cover the pan and cook until the mung beans turn mushy and the water completely dries.
- Once the beans are cooked, mash the bean with a spoon to make a smooth paste.
- Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a pan.
- Add chopped shallots and saute for a minute.
- Add mung bean paste, salt, pepper, ginger powder, and spring onion greens. Mix well.
- Cook for a minute and then switch off the gas.
- Let the mixture reach room temperature.
Making chili oil
- Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a pan.
- Add chopped chili pepper and spring onion greens.
- Saute for a minute and then switch off the gas. Keep it aside.
Making the sauce
- In a bowl mix soy sauce/ tamari, sugar, and water.
- Mix until the sugar gets dissolved.
Making the dough
- Put around ½ cup of tapioca flour in a bowl and add around ¼ cup of boiling hot water to it.
- Mix with a spoon.
- Once the dough starts coming together slowly start adding more flour and boiling water until you get a smooth elastic dough.
- Cover the dough with a plastic wrap.
Making dumplings
- Boil some water and salt in a large pot.
- Divide the dough into small equal-sized balls.
- Grease your hands, and take one ball and flatten it by pressing between your palms to make a small disc.
- Put a small portion of mung bean filling at the center of the disc.
- Lift one side of the disc and bring it over the filling to reach the other side.
- Pin the edges to seal the dumpling.
- Cover the dumpling with plastic wrap, then similarly make all the other dumplings.
- Put the dumplings in boiling water and cook until they start floating on the surface.
- Pour ice-cold water into a large bowl.
- Transfer the cooked dumplings to this bowl and let them stay in it for about a minute or until they become translucent.
- Take the dumplings out of water with a strainer and put on a serving plate.
- Pour chili oil and sauce on top. Gently mix to make sure the dumplings get evenly coated in oil and sauce.
- Serve immediately!
Notes
- Use very hot boiling water to make make the dough otherwise, it will not be possible to make a dough with tapioca flour.
- Seal the edges of the dumplings nicely. If you don’t do that the filling will come out when you boil them.
- Keep the size of dumplings very small as these dumplings are very chewy and eating large chewy dumplings will be very difficult.
- Make sure that the chili oil is ready before you take out the dumplings on the plate and pour the oil immediately. Otherwise, the dumplings will stick to each other and the plate.
Corinne's Rumballs
Recipie brought to us by Corinne – sourced from unknown
Ingredients:
- 1.5 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup almond paste (I grate mine, much easier to incorporate)
- 1.5 cups butter
- 3 pkg. chocolate wafers (or use 3 pkg. chocolate crumbs)
- 2 cups pecans or walnuts
- 3 cups icing sugar
- 2/3 cups cocoa
- 1 cup of sour cream
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups of rum
- pinch of salt
Recipie:
- Crumble into a bowl the chocolate wafers, and your nuts (chop first).
- In with the crumbs and nuts, add your icing cugar and cocoa (we reccomend sifting through a sieve to prevent lumps).
- In a new bowl, melt together your chcolate chips, almond paste, and butter.
- Add your sour cream and rum into the melted concoction – along with a pinch of salt (optional)
- Mix your melted concotion into your bowl of crumbs and nuts, and stir well.
- Place the entire mixture into an air-tight container and refigerate overnight.
- The following day, roll the cooled mixture into small balls, and coat firmly in the chocolate sprinkles.
- Refrigerate or freeze to store.