Banana Chocolate Chip Doughnuts

Here they are, the answer to your doughnuts-on-a-diet dilema!

Bananas, whole wheat flour, greek yogurt, and coconut sugar make these little delights easy on your waistline and a joy to your taste buds. Sometimes, for sanity's sake, you need a sinful little snack (or meal) to round out your salads. I hear you, I need it too. But I really don't want to throw away all of my hard work and effort to one (or three) calorie laden doughnut simply because I need a sugar fix, which is why baking them and swapping some of the ingredients makes it possible to have your cake doughnut and eat it too!

For those of you who do not have a doughnut pan-you must get one today. Like now. You might want to get two so you can make all your doughnuts at once and be on your way to eating them even quicker. I only have one and it's mildly annoying to have to wait for the first batch to cool, then wash the pan for the second batch, all the while the six doughnuts you did have are mere crumbs on a platter because 3 sets of hands have snatched them up faster than you could secure your own doughnut delight.  Now you have to wait another 15 minutes to get yours. Definitely get two pans.

Banana Chocolate Chip Doughnuts
adapted from: janieskitchen

Ingredients:

• 2 small very ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar (or regualr cane sugar if you can't find it)
• 1/2 cup fat free greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 2 eggs (room temperature)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup oat flour (you can use AP flour or any other combination of flours you have)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (1 cup regular)

Topping:

• 1/4 cup cane sugar
• 1 tblsp cinamon

How to:
Preheat you oven to 325 degrees. Grease your doughnut pan.

With a mixer, whisk the mashed banana, sugar, and greek yogurt until smooth. Add in the butter, eggs, and vanilla and mix. Next add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the batter and mix until just combined. DO NOT OVERMIX.

Using a rubber spatula, mix in the chocolate chips. Scoop the batter into a plastic bag and then cut the corner to make your own little piping bag. You can spoon the batter into the pan but it tends to get everywhere because of the shape, so the baggie is much easier and more efficient. Fill the pan about 3/4 full and sprinkle some of the topping on each doguhnut. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

Allow to cool in the pan for about a minute and then remove onto a wire rack and sprinkle with more topping. The sooner you do this after you remove them from the pan the better as the steam helps hold the sugar. Otherwise you may need to brush with some extra butter to get the sugar to stick well.

Now simply stack on a plate, pour a cup of joe, and enjoy on your porch or in a sunny window!


Life is always better homemade!
LL

Cinnamon S'more Party Mix

I heart snickerdoodle cookies. I love how they are so unpretentious and simple but so satisfying with just the right amount of sweetness. I also fancy a perfectly toasted brown, gooey marshmallow smashed between a hunk of chocolate and crunchy graham crackers. I am not a fan of the caloric havoc these treats bring about, so how do I get those flavors without the fat?

Chex.

You know the cereal nearly everyone passes up because it’s boring and bland. But look at that picture up there; does it look boring and bland to you? Absolutely not! That’s because Chex happens to be the perfect little vessel to carry whatever flavor you desire, transforming into a new delicious mix each time you add a different topping.

I know you’re sitting there, one eyebrow cocked up in suspicion, wondering how in the world some rice cereal could possibly taste like a snickerdoodle and a s’more. Well, ok, obviously it doesn’t taste EXACTLY like either one, but it tastes remarkably similar and equally delicious. A handful will not be enough I’m telling you.

Go ahead, whip up a batch and try to prove me wrong. I’ll wait.

 

 

Cinnamon S'more Party Mix

Adapted from Chex

1/4 c melted butter

2 c chcolate Chex

2 c cinnamon Chex

4 c popcorn

1/4 sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 c chocolate chips

1/2 c mini marshmallows

 

Mix the Chex and popcorn together in a large bowl. Melt the butter in a microwave safe dish for about 30-40 seconds. Pour the butter over the mix and stir together until evenly coated. Microwave the mix for 2 minutes, stiring after 1 minute.

Mix the cinnamon and sugar together and spinkle half over the mix and stir. Sprinkle the rest over the mix and stir again. Microwave for another minute. Remove from the microwave and add the chocolate chips and marshmallows and stir.

Pour the mix onto wax paper or paper towels to cool. Store in an air tight container if you are not going to eat it right away.

 

Enjoy life homemade!

~LL

Brownie Chunk Chocolate Chip Cookies

      

       I realize that this cookie isn't much different than last week's. Really, it is the exact same, save for mixing brownie chunks into the cookie dough instead of creating a surprise brownie center. Not everybody has time to partition out balls of cookie dough, flatten them out, then wrap them around brownies. That is why this cookie is great! It's a super time saver. Because the brownie chunks are more spaced out in this cookie, you get a more even flavor of cookie vs. brownie than the suffed cookie version--one bite may have more cookie flavor while the other has a stronger brownie flavor. So if you have too short of an attention span to make the Brownie Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies, I highly recommend making this version instead.

Brownie Chunk Chocolate Chip Cookies
based on the recipe from Picky Palate

Ingredients

• 1 brownie mix + the called for ingredients
• 2 sticks softened butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 3 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• 1-2 cups brownie chunks (however "chunky" you want the cookies)

*This recipe can be easily halved. Though you will still need to make the brownie mix according to its directions, you will just use less of the finished product.*

Directions
--Prepare your favorite brownie mix according to the package directions and let completely cool. Then cut into desired size chunks. Keep in mind you probably won't use the entire pan in the cookies, unless you really want to. (It's best to do this ahead of time so you don't have to wait so long.)

--After the brownies are cooled and cut, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

--Cover two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside for later.

--For the cookies, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda in a bowl and set aside for later.

--Combine the butter and sugars in another bowl and beat them until nice and fluffy.

--Add the eggs and vanilla and stir thoroughly. Then gradually add the flour mixture.

--Add the chocolate chips.

--Mix in the brownie chunks by hand so you don't break them up in the dough.

--Place the cookies on a prepared baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes. Don't bake them too long, they taste better as chewy cookies compared to crunchy cookies. (In my opinion.)

--Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool a bit before transfering them to a wire rack.

--Share and enjoy =)




Happy Baking!
--H

Brownie Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

       I first discovered this recipe a little over a year ago while two of my aunts and a couple of my cousins were visiting for Easter. As the rest of my family was playing games at the dining room table, I was busy in the kitchen making these cookies. They thought I was making simple cookies for a late night snack--boy were they wrong. When I brought these out of the oven and to the table, everybody was initally amazed and excited over the sheer size of the cookies, then they each took a bite and nearly died of suprise and delight over the discovery of a brownie tucked inside the chocolate chip cookie. Delicious. Since then, both friends and family have repeatedly asked me to make these cookies for special occasions--sometimes the special occasion simply being eating these cookies. The picture from where I found this recipe shows really flat cookies, but whenever I make them they always turn out like the above picture. I don't mind, though. I love being able to bite into a large brownie chunk instead of a skinny one.

Brownie Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

recipe from Picky Palate

Ingredients

• 1 brownie mix + the called for ingredients
• 2 sticks softened butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 3 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions
--Prepare your favorite brownie mix according to the package directions and let completely cool. Then cut into 16 equal sized bars. (It's best to do this ahead of time so you don't have to wait so long.)

--After the brownies are cooled and cut, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

--Cover two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside for later.

--For the cookies, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda in a bowl and set aside for later.

--Combine the butter and sugars in another bowl and beat them until nice and fluffy.

--Add the eggs and vanilla and stir thoroughly. Then gradually add the flour mixture.

--Add the chocolate chips.

--To make the cookies, use a cookie scoop to make two dough-balls. Take one of those balls and stick a brownie on top of it, then top the brownie with the other dough-ball. Push the cookie dough around the brownie, pinching the seams together.

--Place 6 cookies on a prepared baking sheet and bake for 18-22 minutes. Don't bake them too long, they taste better as chewy cookies compared to crunchy cookies.

--Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool almost completely before removing them from the cookie sheet.

--Share and enjoy =)

Note: When I make these I don't refrigerate the cookie dough before I make the stuffed cookies and I think that's why whenever I make them they turn out poofy, like the above picture, and not a flatter, Saturn-like cookie. 


Happy Baking!
--H

Mudslide Cake

      
       Hello recipe-hunting-community! How are yeh? I'm doing fantastic, and the above picture is part of the reason why. You see, I recently celebrated a birthday (being a lady, I shall not admit to the age (just know that I'm younger than my sister, hehe)) and recieved one of my favorite birthday presents from my brother: a Barnes and Noble gift card. (I'm not advertising, I just love books. I am an English Major after all.) He knows me well. In my opinion, this gift card is nowhere near impersonal, but rather sensical. I buy books so often that not many people can keep up with the current inventory of my personal library. Anyway, my brother has very good taste because, you see, he inadvertently purchased me a recipe book called Booze Cakes. No, I'm not a heavy drinker, but I do like enjoying a glass of something every now and again. Wanna know the best part about this purchase? Even my brother was super stoked about it! We made two cakes the very next day. (Stay tuned, cake two is coming soon...) This was the cake I chose. The Mudslide Cake. Wow. So good! The cake itself wasn't super fudgey, but a nice chocolate flavor with a hint of coffee. Just the way I like it. Plus, all the toppings were super fresh and delicious tasting, and spiked with Bailey's. Ultimately, I think this is a cake that is going in my permanent sweets cookbook.

Mudslide Cake

Recipe from Booze Cakes

Ingredients

For the Irish Cream Cake

• 1/4 strong espresso (about 2 shots)
• 3/4 Irish cream liqueur (you get what you pay for, so use Bailey's)
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 2 eggs (room temperature is best)

For the Irish Whipped Cream

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup Irish cream liqueur (Bailey's)

For the Irish Cream Caramel Sauce

• 3/4 cup light brown sugar (really, any brown sugar will do)
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup Irish cream liqueur (Bailey's)

Directions

For the Cake

--Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

--Prepare 2 round cake pans (9in to 10in) by greasing and flouring.

--In a glass, combine the espresso and Bailey's, then set it aside for now.

--In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and the salt. Set that aside for now too.

--In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter, cocoa, sugar, and vanilla until it is light and creamy. (About 3-5 minutes.)

--Then beat in the eggs, one at a time, until the mixture is fluffy. (About 4 minutes.)

--Next, add the flour mixture and liquid mixture to the stuff in the mixing bowl in alternating additions. (Half the flour, the liquid, then the rest of the flour.)

--Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans and bake for 20-25 minutes. When a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, the cake is done.

--Remove from oven, and let the cake rest in the pans for a couple minutes. Then flip the cakes from the pans and allow to cool on a wire rack. Let cool completely.

For the Whipped Cream

--In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the whipped cream and Bailey's.

--Using the whisk attachment, beat the liquid on low for a few seconds, gradually increasing the speed until the liquid won't splash you when the power is on high.

--Whisk until stiff peaks form, but don't overbeat unless you want homemade butter.

--Refrigerate the whipped cream until you're ready to use it.

For the Caramel Sauce

--Bring a saucepan up to medium heat. Then dump in the brown sugar, butter, and cream.

--Stiring constantly, bring the sauce to a boil.

--Then reduce the heat and let the sauce simmer for about 5 minutes.

--Next, remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the vanilla and Bailey's.

--Let cool just a little bit so you don't melt the whipped cream when drizzling.

--The longer the caramel sits, the thicker it gets.

Stacking the Cake

--Get out your favorite cakestand and place a small dollop of the whipped cream on its center.

--Place the first layer of chocolate cake on top of the dollop, centered on the stand.

--Take half of the whipped cream and spread it evenly over the first layer of cake. If desired, you can drizzle some of the caramel over this section of cake to add a stronger caramel flavor to the completed cake.

--Next, stack the other cake layer on the covered first layer, making sure the edges line up on all sides. Top with remaining whipped cream.

--If desired, garnish with shaved chocolate or chocolate swirls. I used a semi-sweet Baker's bar and shaved a piece of it with a potato peeler.

--Drizzle the stacked cake with as much caramel sauce as desired. If you don't use all the caramel (like me) put what's left in a small dish and let people drizzle extra caramel over their individual pieces.

--Enjoy, and please eat responsibly ;)

Happy Baking!

--H

Chocolate-Dipped Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites

      

       Happy (almost) Valensday Tine! Hehe, that's how my oldest niece used to say "Valentine's Day". I think it makes the holiday sound that much cuter. Just like these pretzel bites--aren't they adorable? What's great about these is that they're super simple, super cute, super addictive, and super fun to make. (Addictive is a positive thing, right?) For those of you looking for a quick, last minute treat, or even simply looking for a fun Valentine's Day project to do with your kiddos, these pretzel bites should definitely be kept in mind. And don't forget the other holidays! You only need to change the sprinkles to make these bites event-appropriate.

       Because of the brown sugar in this recipe, the peanut butter filling has a unique taste to it. The best way I can describe it is that it almost tastes slightly "mapley", though that's still not quite right. Either way it is tasty. Also, these are best kept chilled before eating for multiple reasons. One, they just taste better cold (like putting Reese's in the fridge or freezer), but that is technically my opinion. Two, keeping the bites chilled keeps them firm. Three, the chocolate doesn't smudge easily when they're cold. So, see? Keep them chilled if possible. It's for the best. If you're bringing them somewhere, just keep them chilled until you leave. By the way, here is where I found the recipe, and this is the original source of it.

Chocolate-Dipped Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites

Recipe originally from Foodaphilia

Ingredients

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons softened butter
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• Pretzels
• 1 regular-sized bag of chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate)
• Sprinkles (optional)

Directions

--Get two baking sheets ready by lining them with wax paper, parchment paper, or a silpat. Cover one of the pans with about 50 pretzels. These will be the bottom halves to your "sandwiches". Set pans aside.

--In a medium sized bowl, thoroughly combine the peanut butter and the butter. (You can use a stand mixture if you really want to.)

--Next, add the sugars and mix until combined. You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times if you're using a stand mixer.

--Once you can roll little balls in your hands without the peanut butter mixture sticking to your fingers, then it is ready. If it is still sticky, continue to add more powdered sugar in small doses.

--Roll the peanut butter filling into small balls and place on top of the pretzels on the prepared baking sheet. Top with another pretzel to form a "sandwich". Make sure the pretzels are facing the same direction.

--Once you have all the sandwiches made, chill them in the freezer for about 30 minutes. You want them to be firm when you dip them into the melted chocolate so they don't squish on one side. You'd get lopsided bites if you did that. Though still tasty, they wouldn't be as cute.

--Near the end of the 30 minutes, melt the chocolate chips. Either by a double-boiler method or the microwave. Be careful not to scorch the chocolate. (If using a microwave, first put the chips in for a minute, stir, then stir about every 30 seconds after that until successfully melted.)

--Taking a few pretzel sandwiches out of the freezer at a time (so the rest can stay chilled and firm), dip half of each pretzel into the chocolate and place on another lined baking sheet. If using sprinkles, sprinkle them over the chocolate now.

--Let the chocolate harden on the bites (easiest just to stick them back into the fridge or freezer again), then transfer them to a sealed container or snack-sized Ziploc baggies.

--Enjoy! Tell someone you care about you love them. =)

Happy Baking!

--H

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

       Valentine's Day is about celebrating the things you love. I love peanut butter. The other night, while leaving the campus after my final class of the day, I suddenly felt a huge zinger in my stomach--an intense craving for peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. (I'm a girl, these things happen sometimes.) I've been trying to eat healthy lately, but cravings like these are hard to ignore. Convincing myself that it would be better for me to give in to a small "naughty" snack every now and again instead of experiencing occasional binge-trips (I'm a realist, I know it'd happen eventually) I made a quick stop at the grocery store to pick up some mini chocolate chips. When I got home, I whipped these suckers up . . . and I fell in love. They were slightly grainier than I would have preferred (which could have been due to the type of peanut butter I used) but they hit the spot. I only changed one thing about the recipe and that was the temperature of the oven. I like my cookies extra chewy so I lowered the temperature down to 350 degrees instead of 375 degrees. I also took them out before they looked completely done, then let them sit on the hot pan for a minute or two to let them set up. I actually  do this with most of my cookies because I like to have the center slightly doughy and the outside to have a small crunch. I also find that cookies last longer when I do this because it takes a lot longer for the cookie to go stale if nobody is around to eat them. That's not a problem with these cookies, though. They're too tasty to not get eaten right away! With that being said, I had to give most of these away so my "naughty little snack" wouldn't turn into my "scandalous binge night". 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe from About.com


Ingredients

•  1/2 cup butter, softened
•  1/2 cup peanut butter
•  1/2 cup granulated sugar
•  1/2 cup brown sugar (don't forget to pack it down firmly)
•  1 egg
• 1 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips (or more depending on preference)

Directions

--Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. (Or be like me and do 350 degrees instead for a chewier cookie.)

--In a stand mixture, combine butter, peanut butter, and sugars until creamy.

--Add the egg and mix until fully combined and fluffy.

--In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir it up a little bit.

--Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients a little bit at a time (you don't want flour to fly everywhere when the mixture is turning).

--Add the chocolate chips.

--With a cookie scoop, or just plain ol' teaspoons, drop the cookie dough onto non-stick baking sheets. If you don't have non-stick sheets, either lightly grease your sheet or cover it with parchment paper.

--Bake for 10-12 minutes. (Mine always took ten.)

--When you take them out of the oven, let the cookies rest for a minute or two, then transfer to a wire rack.

--Serve happy people.

--Enjoy!







Happy Baking!

--H

Rolo Pretzel Bites

     Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! I realize both of these sentiments are late in coming, but I still mean them both sincerely. Unfortunately, I didn't get up all the posts I wanted to in December, but that doesn't mean I wasn't putting together tasty goodies! So, although the official "Holiday Season" is over, I will be posting a couple of things that I made as ideas for next year. (Or whenever you have a craving. Who says you can only make this stuff during the holidays?) First on the list are these Rolo Pretzel Bites. I actually called them "Christmas Buttons" because it was cuter, but most people don't know these by that name. What's great about these are that they are extremely versatile. By choosing any color of M&M's you want, you can coordinate colors to a holiday or event. Therefore, they're an all-year-round treat. If you don't like M&M's or are in the mood for something a bit more interesting, replacing the M&M with a pecan is fabulous--it tastes just like a turtle! The candy, not the animal. As pecans are expensive and I don't live near a Sam's Club or Costco, I used M&M's for these "Christmas Buttons" since I wanted to give a nice (but not super-expensive) gift to my coworkers.

Rolo Pretzel Bites

Ingredients

1 bag of Holiday Wreath Pretzels (they're the circles) or the pretzels that look like a checkerboard

100 Rolo pieces (or as many bites as you want to make)

100 M&M's  (or you can put up to three on each bite if you want)

Directions

--Preheat oven to 300 degrees F

--Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper

--Lay out the circle pretzels on the pan

--Put a Rolo inside of each circle. It's okay if they don't fit perfectly, they'll melt inside the pretzel.

--Place Rolo/Pretzel combo in the oven for 3-5 minutes. (It was always 4 minutes for me.) You don't want the Rolo to be completely melted, just enough where you can squish an M&M or pecan easily on top.

--Put an M&M (or pecan) on each bite, working quickly so the Rolo doesn't reharden.

--If you have a freezer large enough, place the pan of finished bites into it so they set more quickly. If you live in a climate with freezing temperature weather (and there's no wind) place the pan outside of your doorstep. If you have neither of these, you'll just have to wait quite a bit longer for the bites to set.

--Once the Rolo on the bites are firm once again, peel the bites off of the parchment paper and enjoy!

Happy Baking!

--H

S'more cake IN A JAR!

I have in the last year grown quite fond of the humble mason jar.  Well just jars in general really.  They are so useful and pretty. You can keep your flowers in them. Put your rice in them so it's not spilling out of the bag. Throw some pencils in for the most convienent little pencil caddy. Tie on some ribbon and fill it with candy and oh my look at your beautiful present! But that's not why you stopped by, to hear about my jar infatuation.  You came because someone said S'MORE, more importantly, S'MORE CAKE! (raises hand) Guilty as charged.  But let me tell you something, these are perfect anytime betweeen now and next Christmas, because really is there a season for s'mores? I think not.  So saddle up parter and grab your mason jar, empty peanut butter jar or cleaned out pickle jar (please clean it first) as we whip the easiest, and by far most decadent, s'more you will have in your life. 

s'mores cake in a jar
(adapted from How Sweet It Is)

This will make 4 pint sized cakes, or 8 1/2 pint cakes. I made the pint sized and they were over the moon sweet.  If you make them this size, have a friend or at least someone you like, handy.

For crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 stick of butter :)
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt the butter and combine with graham crackers and salt until well mixed.  Spray the jars with non stick spray and dividing the crust among the jars, press it down into the bottoms.  I used a tart tamper I had, anything to get it spread even and packed tight.

For the cake:
1 1/8 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup dark cocoa powder
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon heavy cream
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons sour cream

In a bowl, whisk egg and sugar until smooth, then add milk, cream, butter and vanilla, and mix until combined. Stir in the sour cream. In a seperate bowl sift dry ingredients together and add them to the wet mixture. Mix it all up until the batter is smooth.

If you're using pint jars, use a 1/4 cup and measure out the batter one scoop at a time. You only want to fill them up about half way and the batter should work evenly for 4 jars. I used pint jars and ended up having enough batter for 2 additional half pint jars as well.  Not sure why. But that's how I discovered that these are better in smaller packages.

Place mason jars in a baking dish and add about 1 1/2 cups of water to the bottom. Bake for 30 minutes, or until cake is set. I eneded up baking mine for 40 minutes, probably because of my stellar oven. Either way, when the cake is done, remove it from the oven and press large marshmallows down on top, being careful not to burn yourself. It's easier to to this in the smaller jars.  There is no set number of marshmallows to use, just cram some in there. But if you must know, about 4-5 mallows. Move your rack to the second lowest position and crank up your broiler in your oven and watching carefully, brown marshmallows for about 1-2 minutes, or until golden brown. Do not take your eyes off them.  I hovered and peered through the crack of the door and watched them brown up. I'm slightly paranoid with the broiler.

Serve immediately!

You might like to know that I had success reheating the crust/cake part and then adding marshmallows the next day and it tasted just as delicious as the first.  If you make more than you think you can eat immediately, just don't top all of your cakes with mallows and start the delicious magic all over again later. 

To reheat/redo:
Heat oven to 350 degrees and set the jars in a pan with some water and reheat in the oven for about 10 minutes or until warmed through.  Repeat the topping steps of the original recipie and enjoy, again!

Now grab your bff, your kids, or your sister and dig in!

Life is better homemade,
LL

Puppy Chow

       My father has taught me many things in life: good work ethic, compassion, dry humor, love. Some days, though, my favorite thing he instilled in me is his sweet tooth. Since I was young I have memories of him scraping the last bits of ice cream from a bowl, sometimes over exaggerating and scraping his spoon even when everything was gone, just to see if he would get a reaction from us kids. He even puts strawberry syrup on his cereal to give it that extra bit of sweetness. I don't go that far, that's too weird. My dad is also the one who ate all of my cookie mess-ups when I was just learning how to bake. He always tells me that there is no such thing as a bad cookie if it was homemade. Even if I don't agree with this statement (some of those first cookies got pretty crispy (with extra "flavor" (the burnt bottoms and edges))) the fact that he ate every single batch I ever made was extremely encouraging. I was always given a blue ribbon for my effort, in fact, I was given two.

       Though today I'm not sharing cookies, I am sharing something sugary and sweet, perfect for the sweet-tooth. Puppy Chow. Many people know this treat as "Muddy Buddies", but I grew up calling it Puppy Chow and refuse to call it anything else--I can be stubborn. I have made many batches over the years, and because of this I have found my favorite types of ingredients to use. First, I like to start with rice chex as opposed to corn chex. I prefer the lighter crunch and less pronounced flavor so the chocolate, peanut butter, and powdered sugar can shine. The off-brand rice chex is acceptable to use, and is often what I choose to purchase. Next, I love using milk chocolate in my Puppy Chow. It is creamy and not overpowering, which is how I find semi-sweet chocolate to be. I have to use a certain type of milk chocolate though: Nestle. I even go so far as to check the expiration dates--the fresher the chocolate the better for the Puppy Chow.

       I used to think that it didn't matter what type of peanut butter I used as long as it was creamy, so I always bought the Our Family brand because it was the cheapest. Now I've come to realize the type of peanut butter does matter. I don't like using Skippy or Jiff, they are underwhelming and disappointing in Puppy Chow. Ironically, I prefer the Our Family. Lucky me, it's the least expensive around these parts. (As a side note, I have never tried using natural peanut butter but plan to in the future.) Finally, I discovered that the brand of powdered sugar matters as well in this recipe. I once bought some off-brand powdered sugar out of convenience, but it was no good in Puppy Chow. It wasn't even sweet and it left a waxy coating on my mouth after testing it, weird. Lesson learned.

       So, without further ado, here is the recipe; enjoy eating some crunchy, peanut butter/chocolate, sweet goodness. =)

Puppy Chow

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter
• 1-11.5 ounce bag milk chocolate chips
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 bag powdered sugar (you might not use it all)
• 1 box rice chex

Directions:

--Empty cereal box into an extra large Tupperware bowl

--In a separate microwaveable bowl, place butter, chocolate chips, and peanut butter. Microwave for 1 minute, then stir.

--Continue to microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each stop. You want the chocolate to be nice and runny, but be careful to not let it seize (become stiff and overcooked).



--Once chocolate mixture is melted, pour half of it over the cereal. Carefully stir the cereal to get it coated in the chocolate, try not to break the pieces.

--Once first half seems sufficiently combined, pour the rest of the chocolate over the cereal. Continue to mix the cereal slowly until all the cereal pieces are completely covered in chocolate.

--After the cereal is thoroughly covered, sprinkle 3 cups of the powdered sugar over the chocolate-covered cereal. Put the lid on the bowl and shake gently until the powdered sugar is soaked up into the cereal pieces evenly. You can add more powdered sugar as desired.

--Be careful not to add all of the powdered sugar at one otherwise it will all disolve into the hot chocolate pieces. Instead, once you have about 4 or so cups in the cereal, wait until the chocolate cools mostly down to add the final sprinkling of powdered sugar. This gives the nice, powdery white look that the Puppy Chow has when finished.

Happy Baking!

--H

Chocolate Mummy Cupcakes

       Happy Halloween! Happy Haunting! Happy Eat-So-Much-Candy-You-Get-Sick Day! Whatever you do today, I hope it's happy. I enjoyed my Halloween excursion a little early this year and went out last Saturday, it was just easier that way. These cupcakes, however, are not from Saturday. They are from the Thursday before (the 27th). Every Thursday night this semester I have a two hour class called "Visionaries of the Past" where we discuss the great minds of old. (Don't worry, I won't go into depth about the discussions.) Being that the 27th was the last Thursday before Halloween it was only right to bring something "spook-tacular". Since in this class we discuss old, dead people, mummies were the natural choice. I remembered looking at various people's mummy cupcakes last year and decided it was my turn to give 'em a go. I think they turned out kinda nice, what do you think?

       I chose chocolate cupcakes for two reasons: we hadn't eaten anything chocolate yet in class (I know, right?) and I liked the symbolic aspects, like darkness, death, and evil. Because I didn't have much time to waste--darn homework pile--I just chose a cupcake recipe that I had seen a couple days earlier on a blog I sometimes follow called Annie's Eats. It was a pretty tasty cupcake, though I felt it was somewhat crumbly. I followed her recipe exactly except for one thing: I used unsweetened cocoa powder instead of Dutch-process cocoa powder. Honestly, I did this because I only had the unsweetened cocoa powder. What is the difference? Instead of my gabbing, I'll send you here. The author of this blog did some investigating so we don't have to, and she gives the facts in a clear and concise way. I like that.

       For the frosting I used a recipe (at the bottom of the page) that i am baker used, so I figured it had to be good. Well, if I was only frosting a flat layer of cake then the frosting would have been delicious. But because I had to add more powdered sugar to make a stiff frosting, I found it to be a bit too much on the sweet side for my liking.  I will consider using this recipe once more just to make sure my observations were correct, but the search for my favorite buttercream frosting--that I can pipe with--is still underway.

Chocolate Cupcakes

Recipe from Annie's Eats

Yield: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

•  1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon Dutch-process cocoa powder (I used unsweetened cocoa powder)
•  1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon hot water
•  2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup plus one tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 2/3 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup sour cream

Directions

--Preheat your oven to 350˚F

--Combine the butter and sugar in a saucepan, over medium heat, until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth. Stir occasionally.

--Once thoroughly combined, transfer your butter/sugar mixture to your electric mixer and stir on medium-low speed until cooled.

--While the butter/sugar mixture is combining and/or stirring, line your cupcake pans with some cute cupcake wrappers.

--In a small bowl, whisk together cocoa powder and hot water until smooth.

--In a separate (medium) bowl, get your dry ingredients ready: whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

--By  now, your butter/sugar mixture should be cooled. Add the room-temperature eggs one at a time, mixing well after each is added.

--Mix in vanilla and coca mixture until smooth.

--On low speed, add the flour mixture and sour cream, alternating between the two. Be sure to start and end with your flour mixture. (ex: 1/3 flour mixture, 1/2 sour cream, 1/3 flour mixture, rest of sour cream, last of flour mixture) Mix until just incorporated. You will have a nice, airy batter.

--Using a scoop, fill the cupcake wrappers approximately 1/2 - 2/3 the way full. Just try and have all 24 cupcakes to have the same amount of batter for even sizes.

--Bake 18-20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out almost completely clean. (A famous pastry chef once said if it comes out completely clean you risk having a dry cake. So one crumb or two small crumbs is okay.)

--Let cool a little bit before removing the cupcakes from the pans. Let completely cool before icing.

Vanilla Buttercream

As used by i am baker

Yield: enough for 2-9inch cake rounds, or approximately 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 6-8 cups powdered sugar (Tasted really good with only 5 or 6, but 8 was too sweet)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (if you have lesser quality vanilla, add a little more)

Directions

--Place softened butter and 4 cups powdered sugar into mixer bowl, stir until somewhat combined

--Add milk and vanilla

--On medium speed, mix until creamy

--Add remaining sugar, a little bit at a time, until icing is at desired spreading thickness. You may not use all of the called-for sugar.

--Keep at room temperature for use

--Can be stored for up to 3 days, in an airtight container

To create the mummy look, use a basket weave tip (smooth side up) to pipe random strips of "bandages". For the eyes, use m&m's, and piping gel for the pupils for a more realistic effect. I only used red because the store was out of black, but I still like the "evil" effect it gives.

Happy Baking!

--H