Knock You Naked Brownies

If you have already “liked” my facebook page (link on right side of blog) you have probably heard about these and been waiting for the recipe.  I believe I used the word AMAZEBALLS to describe them the other day lol.  Yes, they are a little insane, and perhaps even unnecessarily over the top, but they are seriously the best brownie I have ever had.  The texture of the brownie is perfect, soft and chewy and full of nuts.  Then you get that thick gooey layer of melty caramel with chocolate chips! YUM!!  By the way, I have no idea where the name came from, but I assure you, people will leave their clothes on…. probably!

I was pretty surprised that the brownie portion came from a cake mix, and if you are concerned, don’t be.  I honestly couldn’t tell it had if I didn’t already know.  It sure makes preparation easy though!  In fact, the entire recipe is quite easy to make, and results in not only a delicious brownie, but also an impressive looking one.  I got the recipe from Pioneer Woman, which for those who are unfamiliar is a cooking show about a woman who lives on a Ranch, and cooks for her family.  In the recipe she mentions a 9×9 pan, but I think I watched her use an 8×8 which is what I also used.  You could use either, but she also mentioned that the original recipe called for a 9×13 pan.  If you want a giant thick gooey brownie go with the square pans, but if you don’t have one go for the other.  I cut mine into 9 brownies, and while they were on the “too large” size, I feel like if I had gone for 12 it might have made them even harder to get out of the pan.  It’s not so much that they stick to the pan (as long as you grease it well) as that the caramel layer makes them hard to separate without breaking them trying to get them out.  Just go slow and make sure you slice all the way through and all the way around.

You are going to want to cut into these right away…. DON’T!  They really do need time to set up in the fridge.  So plan ahead for these.  I made them for our Superbowl party, and so I made them the night before and didn’t cut into them until that morning.  Wait to put the powdered sugar on until just before you cut them.  If you can’t wait over night I suggest at least 3-4 hours in the fridge.

 

Serves : 9-12                          Time to make : 40 minutes + chill time

Ingredients :

• 1 box German Chocolate Cake mix
• 1 C. finely chopped pecans
• 1/3 C. evaporated milk
• 1/2 C. butter, melted
• 1/2 C. evaporated milk (additional)
• 60 whole caramels, unwrapped
• 1/3 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 C. powdered sugar

Directions :

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, pecans, butter, and 1/3 C. evaporated milk.  Stir until well combined.  Batter will be thick.  Pat it down in bowl with a spatula and cut it in half.
3. Take one half and press it into a well-greased 9×9 (see notes above) pan and bake for 8-10 minutes.  You just need it to set up, so don’t worry about cooking it longer.  Once done, set aside.
4. Place your caramels and the 1/2 C. evaporated milk into a double boiler and melt until you get a smooth consistency.  This takes a few minutes.  Pour over the brownie.  Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the caramel.
5. Take the second half of the brownie dough and place it on a piece of wax paper.  Using your hands, shape it into a square (about the same size as the pan, but just a little smaller because it will expand).  Using the wax paper will allow you to easily turn it over and peel it off so you can place it on top of the caramel and chocolate layer.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until the top layer looks done.
6. Allow to cool then refrigerate for several hours.  Before cutting them, generously sprinkle powdered sugar over the pan in a thick layer.  Take care to loosen and cut all the way around brownies before trying to remove them from pan as the caramel tends to stick.

Recipe from Pioneer Woman

Snickerdoodle Cookie Granola Bars

I wasn’t sure if I was going to blog these after messing up the recipe so much, but the results were still very good and I am sure would be even better if made correctly.  In true Monday fashion, I wrote down the ingredients wrong when I was making my notes and ended up putting twice the amount of sugar it called for and only a teaspoon of cinnamon when it called for a tablespoon.  As I said, the results were still very good, but definitely on the sweet side, so using the correct amount of sugar would likely take care of that issue.  My bars did remind me of snickerdoodles, but the additional cinnamon would definitely boost that familiar taste.  My version reminds me a lot of the Cinnamon and Brown Sugar instant oatmeal in bar form.

One thing I can’t be sure of is texture… mine were soft and very chewy/filling, but I have to wonder if they would have been firmer perhaps with less sugar.  Or maybe the opposite, I honestly don’t know.  The recipe I followed describes them as dense and chewy so I think it worked out fine.  The real test is whether they are enjoyable anyway right?  Well my 2 year old sure thought so as he sat at my feet begging for bites of the one I tried lol.  I do hope to try these again soon when my diet will allow and make them the correct way, so perhaps I will come back and add an update with notes on how they turned out.  I’d love to hear from anyone who makes them correctly as well.  Maybe it will turn out that the perfect recipe is somewhere in the middle!

I loved the simplicity of this recipe, and that there was no cooking involved.  I have never made my own granola bars before and now that I know how easy it is I can’t wait to try many other varieties.  I can’t say that they are particularly healthy, and especially not with double the sugar like I used, but they aren’t too bad since they are pretty filling, and they do have oatmeal which is good for you.  You can likely save a few calories on these by using margarine, and perhaps replace some of the sugar with splenda.  The recipe also suggested honey as an alternative to the light corn syrup and, though I don’t know if it’s much lighter in calories, I imagine it is probably more beneficial to your health.  I used the light corn syrup because it’s what I had on hand, and I needed to use it up to make room in my fridge.  One last thing I found was that I didn’t need as much chocolate as it called for to make a nice drizzle across the bars.  I probably ended up using about half of it, but if you like more chocolate go with the full amount.

 

Makes : 12                        Time to make : 10 minutes + 2 hours

Ingredients :

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 T. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1/2 tsp. salt (optional, or to taste)
• 3 1/2 cups quick oats (I used the Quaker 1-minute oats)
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour, + up to 4 T. as needed
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips, melted for drizzling

Directions :

1. Line an 8×8 baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.  You want the foil to have an overhang so you can easily lift it once your bars have set.
2. In a large microwave safe bowl combine the butter, syrup and both sugars.  Heat for a total of 3 minutes, stirring at the end of each minute.  You are making a caramel sauce so watch closely in case it starts to boil over, but you shouldn’t have an issue as long as you used a large bowl.
3. To the sauce add your vanilla, cinnamon, cream of tartar and salt and stir to combine.  Next add the oatmeal and stir to combine.  Add the flour last and a little at a time stirring to incorporate it all.  If after the 3/4 cup of flour your mixture is still sloppy you can add up to 4 T. extra (one at a time).  Mine didn’t need any extra flour.  You do want it moist and sticky.
4. Press into your prepared pan firmly and evenly.  You can either top with your melted chocolate now or later on each individual bar. (I did it now)  Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours to set up, or 1 hour in the freezer if you are in a hurry.  Once set, lift your bars out and cut into 12 bars.  Individually wrap each in plastic wrap if you aren’t serving them right away and either store in an air-tight ziplockbon the counter up to a week, in the fridge up to a month, or in the freezer up to 3 months.

Recipe from averie cooks

Chocolate Mug Cake (Eggless)

You may have heard of the mug cake; a single serving cake baked in a mug in the microwave.  I have been intrigued by it for quite some time, but hadn’t gotten around to trying it myself.  I don’t know why, but I have doubts about food cooked solely in a microwave.  As I was browsing through FoodGawker the other day I came across yet another recipe and was convinced by the image I saw… that of a moist, fluffy cake dripping with honey.  Since I am counting calories I didn’t use any honey, but I imagine it would be even better with something on top.  Perhaps even some chocolate syrup!  I just went with a simple powdered sugar embellishment for today.

The cake itself is only good, at least without something to top it off.  However, I know there are countless recipes out there for these cakes so perhaps others have perfected the ingredients for an even tastier cake.  This one though is eggless, which is going to really help keep the calories down for those like me that just want a taste of cake without having an entire cake left over to tempt you for the next few days.  I actually split it with my husband and two boys today so I only got a fourth, but it was just enough to quiet that voice inside me SCREAMING for chocolate on a daily basis lol.  The best thing about this cake IMO is how quick it all comes together.  You can be enjoying a nice serving of cake in a little more than 5 minutes tops!

Today I used mini chocolate chips since that’s what I had on hand, but the recipe didn’t specify.  I do think they worked best though since they sunk to the bottom and made the cake a little hard to get out in one flawless piece (which is no big deal, and doesn’t detract from the taste at all).  I imagine a larger chip would only be worse.  I used a ramekin for mine today because I wanted a wider cake to share with everyone, but any large sized mug would probably work, or even a small glass bowl.

 

Serves : 1                           Time to make : 5 minutes

Ingredients :

• 3 T. all purpose flour
• 1 T. cocoa powder
• 1 T. chocolate chips
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1 T. brown sugar
• pinch salt
• 3 T. milk
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions :

1. In a small bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, baking powder, brown sugar, and salt.  Stir to combine and break up any lumps.
2. In a separate bowl combine milk, oil, and vanilla and whisk with a fork to combine. 
3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients stirring until just combined, do not over stir.
4. Grease a mug, ramekin, or small glass bowl (I used some shortening) and pour in your batter.
5. Microwave on high for exactly 1 minute, keeping a close eye through the door (don’t open) around 40 seconds just to be sure it’s not going to spill over, though you shouldn’t have any issues.
6. Allow to cool for a couple minutes before running a knife around the edges and overturning onto a plate.

Double Chocolate Banana Walnut Bread

The best of both worlds!  Banana bread and chocolate, what more could you ask for?  This is a gorgeous bread both in flavor and appearance and is pretty easy to make.  I stumbled upon this on food gawker, and I was amazed at how dark the chocolate must have been to get the bread as dark as they did.  I didn’t quite get it, but I only used ghiradelli cocoa in mine and I am sure there are plenty of other rich dark cocoas available.  If I recall I may have had to bake this longer than stated, but as long as you make sure the knife comes out fairly clean you are ok.

Anyway, my family really enjoyed this, and especially with a bit of marscapone spread on top!  I am glad I found this in my archive of photos so I can make it again now.  There goes that diet I haven’t even started yet!

 

makes : 1 loaf

Ingredients :

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1 stick (8 T.) unsalted butter, at room temp.
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Directions :

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter a 9×5 inch loaf pan and place it on an insulated baking sheet or on two regular baking sheets one on top of the other.  This extra insulation will keep the bottom of the bread from over baking.
2. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
3. Working with a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter at medium speed for about a minute  until soft.  Add the sugars and beat for 2 minutes more.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating for a minute after each addition.  Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the mashed bananas.  Add the dry ingredients in three additions, mixing only until they disappear into the batter.  Still on low, add the buttermilk, mixing until it is just incorporated.  Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts.  Scrape batter into prepared pan.
4. Bake for 3o minutes.  Cover the bread loosely with a foil tent to keep the top from getting too dark, and continue to bake for another 40-45 minutes (total baking time is between 70 and 75 minutes), or until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs.  Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for at least 20 minutes before running a knife around the edges of the bread and unmolding it.  Invert and cool to room temperature right side up.

Spiced Vanilla Apple Cupcakes with Vanilla Cinnamon Caramel Frosting

Wow, what a mouthful!  And trust me, you are going to want to have a mouth FULL of these!  A while back I made some caramel apple cupcakes, and they turned out good, but I knew they could be better.  After running out of desserts in our house yet again I decided today was the day to play around and see what I could come up with.

Some of the ingredients I used today might not have been my first choice, but I was trying to stick to things I had on hand.  For example, the confetti cake lol…. I would likely use plain white/vanilla next time.  I might also throw in more than the 15 caramels I had on hand, or perhaps even throw in some caramel syrup to really bring the flavor up front and center in the frosting.  Really though, even with the things used everything turned out great, and if I had those things on hand again I would use them in a heartbeat.

These cupcakes don’t rise a whole lot because of the density from the apples  so I recommend filling them fairly full.  When added the cinnamon to the frosting start with a little and add in small increments until you reach your desired amount.  If you are like me and want to save a bit of time, or enjoy a bit of texture in your cupcakes you can leave the apples unpeeled, however I find kids prefer them peeled.  Also, I know most apple desserts call for granny smith apples, but I used some firm golden delicious today and they worked very well, so don’t be afraid to use your apple of choice for this.

Servings : 24 cupcakes                 Time to make : 35-40 minutes

Ingredients :

• 1 box cake mix (confetti or white)
• water, eggs according to box directions
• 1/3 cup applesauce (or however much oil the recipe calls for on box)
• 1 1/2-2 tsp. cinnamon
  
• 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 2 apples, diced 
• 1 can vanilla frosting
• 15-20 caramels
• 1 T. butter
• cinnamon to taste

Directions :

1. Mix cake mix, water, eggs, and applesauce in a large bowl until moist.  Continue on medium speed for 2 minutes.
2. Add cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice, mixing well.
3. Fold in apple pieces.
4. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake according to box directions.
5. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
6. To make frosting : melt the caramels and butter in a glass bowl in microwave slowly, stirring every 10-15 seconds until smooth.  Set aside and allow to cool a bit.  Once cooled fold into the frosting until smooth.  Add cinnamon to taste.
7. Fill a piping bag, cut a small hole in the end, and pipe onto the cooled cupcakes.  Then sprinkle a tiny bit of cinnamon on top.

Day 154 : Raspberry Sauce & Raspberry Lemon Shake

I wanted to make a lemon shake and got the idea to add raspberries, but I didn’t just want to throw whole berries into the mix.  A few years ago I created this raspberry sauce I knew would be perfect for this so went ahead and whipped some of that up and then used a bit of it for the shakes.  You will end up with extra sauce, but it is great over ice cream, on pancakes, or drizzled over cake, etc.  Tonight I used sugar free/fat free pudding because it’s what I had on hand, but honestly I HATE them.  I hate that fake sugar flavor and the feeling it leaves on my teeth, so unless you are dieting (and in that case you are likely aware of the issue and it doesn’t matter) I would suggest using the regular version.

 

Raspberry Sauce

Serves : makes about 1 cup              Time to make : 5 minutes

Ingredients :

• 1 cup frozen raspberries
• 1 1/4 T. sugar
• 1 T. raspberry preserves
• 4-5 T. prepared pink lemonade (I just make a glass from the powder and measure from that)

Directions :

1. Combine ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. 
2. Push contents through a sieve to remove seeds.
3. Cover and store in the fridge.

Raspberry Lemon Shake

Serves : 1                 Time to make : 5 minutes

Ingredients :

• 1 cup vanilla ice cream
• 1 T. raspberry sauce
• 1 1/2 T. lemon pudding mix (instant)
• 1/2 cup milk
• whip cream

Directions :

1. Combine all but the whip cream in a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Top with whip cream.

 

Day 148 : Nutella Iced Coffee

Ok, so I know it’s starting to look like I have a nutella addiction…. and maybe I do, but I came up with this the other night and just had to share it with you all!  Although I enjoy making blended frappes at home with my nifty machine I have been craving just iced coffees lately and have been experimenting with new versions of that.  This is simply YUMMY!  Creamy, chocolatey, nutty, and satisfies both my need for dessert and coffee all at once!

I don’t measure when making my coffees, so below are just estimates.  Feel free to add more or less to your taste.

 

Nutella Iced Coffee

Serves : 1              Time to make : 5 minutes

Ingredients :

• 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee (I use hazelnut espresso beans)
• 2 T. nutella
• 1 T. chocolate syrup
• ice
• 2 T. fat free half and half
• milk (top off)

Directions :

1. Brew your coffee, then with that combine the nutella, chocolate syrup, and 2-3 ice cubes (helps it to blend) in a blender on high until well mixed.
2. Fill a tall glass about half full with ice then pour the coffee mixture over top.
3. Add the half and half and fill the rest of the way with milk.
4. Stir.

 

Day 141 : Strawberry Breakfast Crescents

I am supposed to shoot a maternity session today, and so planned a breakfast recipe for the day since I will be pretty busy this evening and into the night.  Of course now the weather is not cooperating at all, and I fear it may have to be postponed, but I went ahead with my food plans anyway.

I found these on key ingredient and thought it was just such a great simple idea!  They took minutes to prepare and the flavor was fantastic.  I want to try other flavors now, and I know Yokes sells some organic natural fruit rolls that would maybe make these even better.  Some of them busted open a tad and the strawberry leaked out, but it wasn’t bad and I think it only made them look better.  I did have quite a bit more glaze than I needed, so you could cut that back or use the rest on something else if you want.  You might even be able to stretch the amount for a double batch of the crescents.

Strawberry Breakfast Crescents

Serves : 4 (2 each)                Time to make : 20 minutes

Ingredients :

• 1 pkg of crescent rolls (I used reduced fat)
• 4 betty crocker strawberry fruit rolls
• 2/3 cup powder sugar
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2-3 tsp. milk (I used fat free half and half)

Directions :

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Separate crescents into triangles.
3. Unroll the fruit rolls and cut diagonally into 2 triangles each.  Place a triangle on each crescent, folding as necessary to ensure it is within the edges and not hanging out.
4. Roll up crescents as you would normally and place on prepared cookie sheet.
5. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden.
6. In a bowl whisk together powder sugar, vanilla, and milk to create the glaze.  You may want to start with 2 tps of milk and add a bit more at a time until you get the desired consistency… which should be liquid enough to drizzle but still on the thicker side.  Drizzle over the crescents and serve warm.

Day 139 : Fizzy Wizzy Juice

My son named this one, and got the idea from Wow Wow Wubzy I believe.  It was just something I came up with on the spot for a little treat and though it is super simple and can hardly be called a recipe he LOVES it and requests it almost every night now.  This, from my VERY picky eater….

I assume it would work well with all sorts of combinations for the sherbert and the sparkling water alike.  I am going to get the pineapple sherbet next time and I can’t wait to browse through the sparkling water section just to find something to accompany it!  Anyway, it’s a great dessert on a hot day, very reminiscent of a float, and the best part is that once the sherbert melts it just becomes a fizzy drink!

Fizzy Wizzy Juice

Serves : 1          Time to make : 2 minutes

Ingredients :

• 2 scoops raspberry sherbert
• 1/2 cup lime sparkling water, chilled

Directions :

1. In your glass of choice place the scoops of sherbert and pour the sparkling water over top.  It will fizz and create a sort of shell on the sherbert. 
2. Dig in!

Day 137 : Nutella Rice Krispie Treats

I love a good rice krispie treat, so when I came across these I knew I had to make them.  I realize they are not low fat or calorie and it isn’t going to help my need to diet, but I just couldn’t resist.  They sure do taste good though!   The nutella, though obvious, is not overpowering as I feared it might be with so much of it.

The one issues I had, which really isn’t much of an issue since it turned out fine, was that the nutella didn’t seem to want to melt in.  I put it back on the burner for a little bit while stirring, taking care not to burn it, and ended up with more of a thick caramel type thing but it worked out fine.  I haven’t made many rice krispies so I am not sure how thick the stuff is supposed to be but it did seem a bit on the thicker side.  At least I got a major arm workout trying to stir in the cereal lol.

Nutella Rice Krispie Treats

Serves : 15                     Time to make : 10 minutes

Ingredients :

• 4 T. butter (1/2 stick)
• 1 pkg (10 oz.) regular sized marshmallows or 4 cups mini marshmallows
• 1 cup nutella
• 6 cups rice krispies

Directions :

1. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a saucepan over low heat melt the butter and add marshmallows stirring until they are melted.
3. Take off the heat and add nutella, stirring until melted.
4. Add cereal and stir until combined.  Spraying the spoon with cooking spray can make this part a little easier.
5. Press into the prepared dish with some waxed paper and allow to cool before cutting into bars.

Day 124 : Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have tried many chocolate chip recipes, some good, and some not so good.  These are definitely among the good ones!  I love that they  have that slightly crisp exterior while remaining soft in the center.  The pudding is the trick.

I’ve made these before and used half chocolate chips, half peanut butter chocolate chips, and added walnuts and that was great.  Today I wanted to keep them simpler because I have a kid allergic to peanuts, and I didn’t want to take a chance on the walnuts since I was letting my youngest enjoy them as well.  I went with half bittersweet chips, and half mini milk chocolate chips.  You can use whatever you like and the next time I am thinking of adding toffee bits even.

I find the 12 minute mark to be just about right in my oven.  You want to pull them out before they get too brown.  They should be just turning brown around the edges and on the underside.  I have a small ice cream scoop type thing that works perfectly for dropping cookies and I get almost 4 dozen out of this recipe that way.  I prefer to do one sheet in the oven at a time so they cook evenly, so it takes a little longer but you can certainly do two sheets at a time and that is what I will list in the recipe as far as time to make.

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

Serves : 43-46 cookies                     Time to make : 35 minutes

Ingredients :

• 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 (small) pkg instant vanilla pudding
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp. almond extract
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions :

1. Combine flour and baking soda and set aside.
2. In a large bowl beat together brown sugar, sugar, pudding mix, shortening, butter, vanilla and almond extracts.
3. Mix well.
4. Add eggs and mix well.
5. Beat in flour mixture.
6. Stir in chocolate chips
7. Drop by rounded teaspoonful and bake 10-12 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven.
8. Let cool for a couple minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool the rest of the way.
   

someone liked them very much!

Day 118 : Coconut Key Lime Muffins

I bought some key limes on a whim a while ago and had originally thought to make a key lime pie, but I just never got around to it and wanted to use them before they went bad.  I did a quick search and came across this recipe and decided to give it a try.

As usual, I altered the recipe a tad because I was hoping to make it a little healthier but I am not sure it worked out as well.  We liked them well enough, but they stuck to the papers pretty badly, and had an almost chewy texture and obviously some of that could have been due to my alterations and additions.  I used coconut milk, applesauce in place of oil, and added some shredded coconut to mine.  I also used paper liners, which I have a feeling these muffins would do better without.

Despite the issues though I did enjoy the flavor of these.  A bit bitter perhaps, but I doubt that the key limes we get in our area are of the highest quality/ripeness.  My only complaint though is that key limes are VERY small and in order to get enough juice (I opted for the 1/2 cup) I had to squeeze a ton of them by hand because they were too tiny to work with my juicer.  It was also a bit of a pain to zest them.

Coconut Key Lime Muffins

Serves : 12                        Time to make : 30 minutes (not counting the zesting/juicing lol)

Ingredients :

• 2 C. all purpose flour
• 1 C. sugar
• 1 T. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4-1/2 C. fresh key lime juice (don’t substitute)
• 1/3 C. milk
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp. grated key lime zest
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions :

1. Combine first 4 dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. In a separate bowl combine the rest and mix well.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just moist.
4. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full and bake for 18 minutes or until lightly browned at 400 degrees.
5. Immediately turn muffins out of pan to cool.

Day 116 : Chocolate Almond Mousse Dipped Strawberries

This is the result of needing to use up a few things I had in the fridge.  I had marscapone left over from a while ago and a whole pint of stawberries from Easter that hadn’t gotten eaten yet.  I immediately thought that some sort of dip would be good, and was thinking of going with a maple syrup type thing, but per Jeff’s request, decided on the chocolate instead.  I was surprised at how similar the taste and texture were to the chocolate mousse I make out of heavy whipping cream!  If it hadn’t been for Jeff too, I might have added a bit of coffee to really make this great, but it was pretty darn good as is too.  I used almond extract to give it a little something extra, but if you prefer vanilla, or maybe coconut, or even orange that is up to you.  I just used what I had left of the marscapone and so we ended up with more dip than we needed for the pint of strawberries, but we put the rest into a little sugar cone which was really good as well.

Chocolate Almond Mousse Dipped Strawberries

Serves : 3-4                        Time to make : 3 minutes

Ingredients :

• 4 oz. marscapone
• 2 large dollops of light cool whip, thawed
• 3 T. chocolate syrup
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract
• 1 pint fresh strawberries, cleaned and hulled

Directions :

1. Combine marscapone, cool whip, chocolate syrup, and almond in a bowl and stir until well combined.
2. Serve with strawberries for dipping.

Day 106 : Sunday Morning Coffee Cake & Cinnamon Maple Glaze

I’ve been wanting to make this one for a while, but needed to wait for a Sunday since it does say Sunday Morning Coffee Cake lol.  I decided to make the glaze with it, as a bonus recipe, because it just sounded good and I didn’t want the cake to be too dry by itself.  They went perfectly together…. so much so that between the three of us (Jeff, Archer and I) we ate the entire thing minus one piece for breakfast!!!!!  I just finished off the last piece tonight.

When baking I had to adjust cook time a bit because in order to plate it up nicely I made mine in a springform pan.  Since the insert that came with my pans suggests cooking on a cookie sheet to avoid leakage with non traditional spring-form type cakes that blocked some of the heat to my cake.  There is also a slight adjustment to cooking in a dark pan vs. glass so whichever dish you decide to bake in, just watch the cake and use a toothpick to decide doneness.

One thing I noticed was that most of the streusel topping seemed to sink in or collect in the center of my cake, which I worried would mess it up a bit.  However, it actually sank down into the cake and made a sort of swirl layer which was perfect!

For the glaze recipe I did half the actual recipe to get about 1/2 cup of glaze which is perfect for this size cake.  I felt with the stated ingredients that it was a bit too thick so I just added a bit of milk, a little at a time, until I got the slightly runny consistency I wanted.  I needed it to be able to drip down the sides of the cake.

Sunday Morning Coffee Cake

Serves : 8                      Time to make : 45 minutes

Ingredients :

• 2 T. butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 3 tsp. baking powder

Topping :

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 T. all purpose flour
• 1 T. cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter, cold

Directions :

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spary an 8 inch square baking dish with non-stick spray.
2. In a bowl beat together butter, sugar, and salt until crumbly.
3. Add egg, milk, and vanilla and mix well.
4. In a separate bowl combine flour and baking powder, then pour into the wet mix and beat to combine.
5. Pour into prepared baking dish.
6. To make topping, in a bowl combine sugar, flour, and cinnamon.  Cut in the cold butter using knives or a pastry blender until mixture is the texture of course crumbs.  Sprinkle over the top of the cake.
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes then serve warm as desired.

Cinnamon Maple Glaze

Serves : 1/2 cup               Time to make : 5 minutes

Ingredients :

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 T. butter, very soft
• 1/8 cup maple syrup

Directions :

1. In a small bowl whisk all ingredients together.  Add milk a little at a time if it’s too thick, and then drizzle over the cake.

Day 99 : Heavenly Filled Strawberries

Though not one for strawberry flavoring, I do enjoy fresh strawberries, whether dipped in chocolate, on a shortcake, or even filled like we did tonight.  It’s such an easy method, and looks great on a plate for a party appetizer or dessert.  The recipe I followed actually called for cream cheese, but I used marscapone because I like it better.

I made it with the listed amounts, and ended up with quite a bit of left over filling.  I either didn’t stuff them as well as I could or the measurements were a bit generous.  Either way is fine because the filling will go great on plenty of other things but you might want to take note if you would rather not have so much left over to possibly decrease it a bit.

 

Heavenly Filled Strawberries

Serves : 4                    Time to make : 10 minutes

Ingredients :

• 1 lb fresh strawberries, cleaned and hulled
• 11 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract
• chocolate for shaving

Directions :

1. Prepare your strawberries by cutting a deep x into them starting at the tip, but be careful not to go too far so they stay together as one piece.
2. In a mixing bowl beat together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and almond extract until creamy.
3. Carefully pipe or spoon into the strawberries.
4. Top with shaved chocolate