Tag Archives: chocolate

Slightly-Less-Bad-For-You-Chocolate Chip Cookies

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I recently bought some whole wheat pastry flour because I wanted to try some healthier baked goods without using regular wheat flour. Whole wheat pastry flour has less protein than traditional whole wheat flour so it’s well suited for cookies, cakes, quick breads and pancakes. Using this will result in a more tender and fluffy product. I’m wondering if my family will notice and objectionable difference than my usual AP flour and butter cookies.

Verdict: The kids and I even enjoyed the subtle coconut flavor or the raw cookie dough. These smell faintly of the coconut oil and taste a little like it too. These are pretty tasty, not too sweet and not too wheaty. The wheat pastry flour is slightly nutty and chewy but not unpleasant in our opinion at all. Even my health-food-hating husband liked the flavor of these and was surprised at how good they are – not bad at all for an unconventional chocolate chip cookie. Score one more for mom! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Crispy Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie – adapted from Stedded

  • 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips
Directions: 

Preheat oven to 375.
Mix together flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
In a large bowl whisk together coconut oil and sugar, then beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. If dough is looking too runny, add a little more flour until it resembles standard cookie dough.
Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheets and bake approximately 10 minutes. They spread a lot, so be careful to not put the cookies too close together on the pan.

Cocoa-nana Bread

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Quick Post:  I had a few leftover bananas from my produce box that were perfectly spotty for a banana bread. This bread is dense, chocolaty, rich, and fudgy. M enjoyed a generous slice on his way to work and called me to tell me how good it was 🙂 He knows I love compliments on my food – especially new recipes. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Cocoa-nana Bread – adapted from Obsessed with Baking via Dorie Greenspan 

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup semisweet cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1 stick 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
  • 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped, or 1/2 cup store-bought chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan and place it on an insulated baking sheet or on two regular baking sheets stacked on top of the other. (This extra insulation will keep the bottom of the bread from over baking.)

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and baking soda.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter at medium speed for about a minute, until softened. Add the sugars and beat for 2 minutes more. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for a minute after each addition. At this point, the batter may look a little curdled — it’s okay. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the mashed bananas. Add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, mixing only until they disappear into the batter. Still on low speed, add the buttermilk, mixing until it is incorporated. Stir in the chopped chocolate. Scrape the batter into the pan.

Bake for 30 minutes. Cover the bread loosely with a foil tent to keep the top from getting too dark, and continue to bake for another 40 to 45 minutes (total baking time is between 70 to 75 minutes) or until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean. 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. Invert and cool to room temp right side up.

Chocolate Peanut Butter

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Quick Post:  This is a new favorite! The kids inhaled this perfect after school snack, either served with apples or spread on a piece of toast. Make sure you start with the smallest amount of sugar first and taste for sweetness, adding more if necessary. This didn’t turn out too sweet – I used about 7 tablespoons. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Spread – adapted from 52 Kitchen Adventures

  • 1 cup dry roasted peanuts
  • 1/4 cup unsweetneed cocoa powder
  • 1/4 – 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 T canola oil (or peanut oil if you have it)
  • 1/8 – 1/4  tsp fine sea salt

Place peanuts in food processor or blender. Process until they become almost liquified (be patient: first, it will grind up, then make a ball shape, then become smooth, and then look wet – it took at least 10 minutes). Add in cocoa power, powdered sugar, oil and salt and blend for a couple of minutes until thoroughly combined. Add more salt to taste and a little more oil if too thick. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge. It may need stirring before serving.

Double Fudge Oreo Crunch Cookies

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I think he’ll forgive me for having to eat leftovers… I decided to surprise him with some extra decadent cookies and I know he didn’t mind being the taste tester of these. See, I’m torturing myself now because it’s been nearly a month since I’ve eaten any dessert; and so far I’ve remained strong 😉 Oreos are a weakness of mine, so imagine how hard it was not to eat the Oreos while I was chopping them up! It was rough, but I know I’m in much better shape than I was four weeks ago – that’s what is keeping me motivated to abstain from all things sugar. I guess making these was the ultimate test.

Verdict: He definitely enjoyed being the guinea pig and seeing all those smirks from him while he asked what “those” were when he came home were totally worth it. I made 32 medium sized cookies and bake them for the 10 minutes. Make sure that you let these cool for at least 7 minutes before moving to a cooling rack; but they’re pretty soft, so move them gently. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Double Fudge Oreo Crunch Cookies – adapted from Sweet Eats

  • 1 cup butter, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • 1 cup (10 to 12) crushed Oreo cookies
Directions:

Cream butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until fluffy. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt and mix until combined. Fold in chocolate chips and crushed oreos. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350, roll into balls or scoop with an ice cream scooper and set on baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Let cool completely.

Double Chocolate Banana Muffins

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Quick Post: This is what I came up with while searching for school snack ideas for my kids’ lunches. These don’t have any oil and they’re a great recipe to use for overripe bananas. I had four small ones for this, but probably could have used the recommended three. The kids request these moist, chocolaty mini muffins – score 1 more for mom! 😉
Double Chocolate Banana Muffins – adapted from Handle the Heat
  • 3 large bananas
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/2 cup white whole-wheat flour (or whole wheat pastry flour or whole wheat flour)
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and position a rack in the center. Line a muffin tin with baking cups and set it aside.
In a large bowl mash the bananas with a fork or potato masher then mix in the sugar, egg and applesauce. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda and baking powder over the banana mixture. Mix lightly with a rubber spatula to combine. Fold in chocolate chips. The batter should be just moistened but still a little clumpy. Don’t overmix!
Using a spring-loaded ice cream scoop or spoons, divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups and bake them for about 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Transfer them to a rack to cool. Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

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Quick Post: This bread is so moist and rich and no one would ever know that there is zucchini in it unless you told them 😉 Sneaky, right? My kids love it, too. M on the other hand wont touch it because he knows there is zucchini…oh well, more for me! The original recipe calls for this to be baked in a 9×5 inch pan, but I wanted to make a taller loaf, so I baked it in a smaller 8×4 inch loaf pan. That’s why mine doesn’t have a dome on top – it baked completely flat because it couldn’t rise higher than the loaf pan. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Chocolate Zucchini Bread – adapted from Inspired Taste

  • 1 1/2 cup shredded raw zucchini
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup (45 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules (*I used espresso powder)
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup  light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions –

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and spray a loaf pan (8×4 or 9×5) with nonstick cooking oil.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt, then set aside.

In a large bowl, using a hand mixer beat the oil, sugars, eggs, vanilla extract and coffee granules for about 2 minutes.

Add the shredded zucchini to the dry ingredients and then in batches add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients; use a spatula to incorporate everything until just mixed.  Pour the mixture into the loaf pan and bake in the oven for 55 – 65 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted in the bread and then be removed clean.  Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Deep Dish Chocolate Chip Cookie (awesomeness!!!)

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I almost couldn’t believe my eyes when I clicked this link from TasteSpotting….I love TasteSpotting! While searching for chocolate chip cookie recipes this one’s picture appeared on the first page. Immediately I knew this would be tonight’s treat, and after showing M; he mentioned the hot fudge sauce…could this possibly get any better??

Verdict: This couldn’t be easier of faster to put together. It only makes four 6 ounce ramekins worth which was just right for us. When you break it down, there is only two tablespoons of butter per serving!;) All around this makes for a special, only once-in-a-while dessert that your family will remember for its deep dish cookie goodness! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bowls – adapted from How Sweet It Is

  • 1 stick butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar, loosely packed
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/3 cups AP flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions –

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sift whole wheat flour, baking soda and salt together and set aside in a bowl.

Cream butter and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer until it’s light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Add in dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Spray 4 oven-safe ramekins with non-stick spray and divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Press the dough into the ramekin – each one should have about 1/3-1/2 cup dough.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the middle is still slightly gooey. Set aside and let cool for 5 minutes until they can be handled then serve with vanilla ice cream.

Chocolate Fondue

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Quick Post: This was the dessert that my SIL requested for her birthday. It’s super simple – only two ingredients for this fondue. Serve this with strawberries, bananas, pineapple, pound cake, pretzels, marshmallows – anything that goes well with chocolate but wont easily fall apart. Next time I will use a combination of bitter and semi-sweet chocolate, because the bittersweet was just too bitter!;)

Chocolate Fondue – 

  • 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (or which ever chocolate you prefer)
  • 3/4 cups of heavy cream, warm (plus more to thin the fondue as needed)
Directions –
1. Chop the chocolate and set aside in a bowl. Pour the warm cream over top and let it slowly melt the chocolate. Whisk until the cream and chocolate are incorporated. If you have a fondue pot – use it! Thin out the chocolate with more heavy cream as needed. Enjoy!

M&M Cookies

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These taste better than they look. If you love thin, crispy cookies like I do then you’ll enjoy these. I was looking for a sugar cookie recipe that I could add M&Ms too for my daughter’s birthday snack for her preschool class. I was disappointed by how these turned out because I envisioned a puffier cookie. These cookies spread a lot and I just used my small 1 tablespoon cookie scoop to dish these out. Don’t skip the chill in the fridge for these or they’ll spread even more, but the longer the dough sat in the fridge the less they spread. Next time I will find a basic chocolate chip cookie recipe and add the M&Ms in place of the chips. In the end, the kids didn’t mind, and neither did my chewy-cookie-loving-husband;) Thanks for reading, enjoy!

M&M Cookies – adapted from What’s Gaby Cooking?

  • 1 cup unsalted butter (at room temp)
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cup AP flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • M&Ms

Directions –

1. Cream together the butter and sugars in a mixer. Add the eggs and vanilla, making sure to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl. Add the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder and mix on low until everything is incorporated. Chill the dough for two hours.

2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Scoop the cookie dough onto a Silpat or parchment-lined baking sheet. Be sure to leave plenty of room around each ball, about 8 cookies per pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until desired doneness. Remove from oven and let rest on the baking sheet. Once they’re firm enough, move them to a cooling rack. Makes about 48 cookies.


Triple Layer Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Icing

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This week my parents came to visit, so I pulled out all the stops! But this wasn’t just to create a more memorable visit, it was mostly to celebrate our little girl’s fifth birthday. We forgot to pick up candles and I meant to put rainbow sprinkles on this, but she assured me that it was “okay”. Thankfully the lack of these items didn’t take away from the flavor and richness of this cake.

This was my first ever homemade icing and it was so easy, thanks to my trusty KitchenAid standing mixer. It is a messy process sifting all those six cups of powdered sugar, but it was worth it. Next time I will be more generous with the frosting between the layers, but I was worried I wouldn’t have enough to frost the “outside”. Once the cake was frosted, I put it in the fridge to set up. Oh, and don’t mind the wax paper – that was meant to keep the cake plate cleaner but I forgot to remove them before the rest in the fridge. Overall, this cake was really worth the effort and not at all difficult. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Double Layer Chocolate Cake – adapted from Smitten Kitchen

** This became a “triple layer” cake because I only have 9″ cake pans**

The recipe below is for 2 10-inch layers filled and coated in chocolate ganache. My adaptations were to split the layers to create a four-layer cake and use raspberry filling instead of chocolate. To do the same, use half the frosting and all of the raspberry filling, recipe at the end.

For cake layers

  • 3 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut
  • 1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla

Make cake layers: Preheat oven to 300°F. and grease pans. Line bottoms with rounds of parchment paper and grease paper.

Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined well.

Divide batter between pans and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Cool layers completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove wax paper and cool layers completely. Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature

Quick Chocolate Buttercream – adapted from Williams-Sonoma

  • 8 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
  • 6 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 16 Tbs. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
  • 6 Tbs. milk, plus more, if needed
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp. salt

Directions –

Have all the ingredients at room temperature.

Put the chocolate in the top pan of a double boiler set over but not touching simmering water in the bottom pan. Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Let cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the confectioners’ sugar, butter, the 6 Tbs. milk, the vanilla and salt and beat on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes, then reduce the speed to low. Add the chocolate and beat until combined, then increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 minute more.

If the frosting is dry, add more milk, 1 tsp. at a time, until it is creamy but still holds peaks. Makes about 4 1/2 cups.