Simple and Sweet

Chocolate, nut butter, and bananas are a match made in the clouds! Pure simple flavors that create an explosion of flavor. This little sweet treat was made to cater more toward a gluten free or paleo diet, but one could sub whatever kind of chocolate and nut butter that is most desired for his or her taste. I chose almond butter and "Enjoy Life" semi-sweet chocolate chips, which are gluten, soy, and dairy free. I like those chips better than Hershey's or Nestle,  I absolutely love those little morsels of goodness!



Resist the Urge to Lick Your Screen

Ingredients

1/2 C chocolate chips
1/2 C almond butter
2-3 bananas, sliced into large round chunks
Shredded coconut (I prefer "Let's Do Organic" shredded and unsweetened)

Melt the chocolate chips and almond butter over a double broiler. Once melted, drop in banana slices and coat completely, before placing on baking sheet lined with wax paper. Sprinkle coconut on top of banana chunks. Once all the bananas have taken their chocolate bath, place them in the freezer on the cookie sheet for a couple hours. They are delightful, so please enjoy!

The PERFECT Chocolate Chip Cookies (To-Date)

I rarely follow a recipe exactly as stated. I often times adjust it before I even try it, and sometimes combine 3 or 4 recipes that offer different things I like. Well, as odd as this chocolate chip cookie recipe seemed to me, I decided to follow it (did not even include my usual cinnamon that I put in almost all baked goods). It paid off, this cookie is amazing! I even weighed the ingredients down to the ounce. It was actually much easier then I had ever anticipated; I had lots of time while the butter was browning and Matt was stirring it for me. I left out the nuts b/c I do not like nuts in really any of my baked goods, and I made the cookies a little bit smaller than suggested so we would have more to eat and share. These cookies disappeared fast, I'm sure only to reappear on my rear!

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies courtesy of Cooks Illustrated

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (8 3/4 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
14 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks)
1/2 cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces)
3/4 cups packed dark brown sugar (5 1/4 ounces)
1 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
3/4 cup chopped pecan or walnuts, toasted (optional)

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large (18- by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.

2. Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and, using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted.

3. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using), giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.

4. Divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 tablespoons (or use #24 cookie scoop). Arrange 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets, 8 dough balls per sheet. (Smaller baking sheets can be used, but will require 3 batches.)

5. Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely before serving.

Chocolate Chip Cookies are so yummy to look at!

Chocolate Malted Whopper Drops

Well, here I am again with one of the recipes I mentioned in the Snicker Cupcake entry. These are called Chocolate Malted Whopper Drops and they're the best flour-in chocolate cookies I've ever had. These were so chocolately and delicious! You'll see in the recipe where it calls for malted milk powder. I used chocolate malted milk powder, which gave the cookies a super chocolately flavor but cut down on the malted flavor. You choose how you want to make them....

This recipe is courtesy of Dorie Greenspan's Baking cookbook.

1-3/4 cup all purpose flour

1 cup malted milk powder (here's where I killed the malt flavor but boosted the chocolate flavor)

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1-1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

11 Tbsp unsalted butter at room temp

2/3 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp good vanilla extract

1/4 cup whole milk

2 cups Whoppers, coarsely chopped

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I use Ghirardelli bars)

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Sift together the flour, malted milk powder, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until very smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and don't be concerned if the mixture looks curdled. Reduce mixer speed to low and add half the dry ingredients, mixing just until they disappear into the batter. Mix in the milk, then the remaining dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated. Mix in the malted milk balls and chopped chocolate with a spatula.

Drop the dough by rounded Tbspoonfuls onto the sheets with about 2 inches between each spoonful. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back at 6 minutes. When done the cookies will be puffed and set but slightly soft to the touch. Let the cookies rest for 2 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.

Tunnel of Fudge Cake

Courtesy of Pilsbury Best of the Bake-Off Cookbook

Cake
1-3/4 C granulated sugar
1-3/4 C butter, softened
6 eggs
2 C powdered sugar
2-1/4 C all-purpose flour
3/4 C unsweetened cocoa
2 C chopped walnuts

Glaze
3/4 C powdered sugar
1/4 C unsweetened cocoa
4 to 6 t milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 12 C fluted bundt pan; lightly flour. In a large bowl, beat the granulated sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. On low speed, gradually add in 2 C of powdered sugar until well blended. With spoon, stir in flour, cocoa and nuts until well blended. Spoon batter into the pan and spread evenly.

Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until top is set and edge begins to pull away from the pan. (since the cake has a soft filling, you cannot do the usual toothpick test). Cool upright in pan on cooling rack 1 hour and 30 minutes. Turn cake upside down onto serving platter and cool at least 2 hours.

In a small bowl, mix glaze ingredients, adding enough milk for desired consistency. Spoon over cake, allowing some to run down sides. Store cake tightly covered!

This batter was like velvet after I added the powdered sugar!!

The center was so fudgy and moist!! Will make this one again!!

Quote of the day:

"Life has a bright side and a dark side, for the world of relativity is composed of light and shadows. If you permit your thoughts to dwell on evil, you yourself will become ugly. Look only for the good in everything so you absorb the quality of beauty."

~ Paramahansa Yogananda

Raspberry Ganache Pie - Mmmm!

This is my first official post of my new food blog, inspired by my husband! He encouraged me to share my successes and failures in the kitchen with the world. Food is love and this pie is full of it!

The recipe called for a store bought oreo crust, but I prefer to make my own! It allows me to eat a few oreos during the process!

I don't always measure, but I will try to get better at that to post the most accurate information possible. I often change recipes I come across before I every try them as written and it is usually a success.....and sometimes not!

This recipe is from Kraft Foods and I love finding these simple quick fixes!

Raspberry Ganache Pie from Kraft Foods

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (8 squares) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup whipping cream
6 Tbsp. seedless raspberry jam, divided
1 OREO Pie Crust (6 oz.) or see below for your own crust
2 cups fresh raspberries
1 Tbsp. water

Directions:

MICROWAVE chocolate and cream in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring after each minute. Beat with whisk until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended. Stir in 2 Tbsp. jam.
POUR into crust. Refrigerate 4 hours.
ARRANGE berries on top of pie. Microwave remaining jam and water in small microwaveable bowl on HIGH 30 sec.; stir until well blended. Brush onto berries. Keep refrigerated.

Oreo Crust:
1.5 rows oreos
4 T butter, melted

Crush the oreos in a food processor; then add to the melted butter and stir well. Press into pie pan and it's ready to go!


Quote of the day:
"Our achievements of today are but the sum total of our thoughts of yesterday. You are today where the thoughts of yesterday have brought you and you will be tomorrow where the thoughts of today take you." ~ Blaise Pascal