Go Bananas!

Summer time is here and so are the kid's million requests for popsicles and ice cream.  As part of our Summer Blast we are trying to make some healthy changes.  If you have stock in ice cream it's time to sell because we are off the wagon.  So here is our solution.  Skip on the creamy calories and give me a frozen banana.  

A simple dip in chocolate and it's a treat the kids can't resist.  Creamy like ice cream with out all the naughty!

I used 3 bunches of bananas and two bags of melted chocolate chips in a double boiler.  Cut the banana in half and poke a stick through it. Dip in the melted chocolate and toss some almonds on the top and it's a treat you can eat.  Freeze them and pull from the freezer just like you would any other frozen treat.  I eat them when I need a quick treat to get me through a sweet tooth urge.

Linked up at DebbieDoos

                                  XOXO  Misty

Cake Poops

No, that is not a typo.

Once upon a time, I had the idea that I would become a chocolatier and own my own chocolate shop. I had the name picked out and everything. This was in the middle of my baking obsession where I was baking cookies frequently and experimenting with different recipes. I am not a bad baker, and have often been told that I make the best treats, but I haven't yet perfected chocolate. I can bake with it just fine if it is just another ingredient like salt, but if it has to be pretty, that is another story.

For a Birthday party, I decided to make some cake pops. Bakerella has lots of cute creations on her website. She even wrote the book. They looked easy to make and I had so many ideas of what I could do. For this party I decided on a Batman theme and found these little beauties. I made my own cake not from a box. A first for me. I made my own frosting. Another first for me. And they were good. Things started looking up for me. I bought my 6 inch sticks, my candy pieces, and candy melts in preparation. Everything thing seemed to be falling into place.

Let the decorating commence!

I started with some white candy melts to make the face. I had borrowed a fondue pot from my neighbor but since I had only melted chocolate in the microwave, I had to look up what temperature at which to melt it. That done, I found that I had overheated the chocolate. Strike one.

I had only bought one bag of each color of candy melts which equalled...two bags. Strike two.

I let those chill after I had added the faces and candy pointed peaks on the hood. Time for the blue dipping. I tried the fondue pot again only to have it make the candy melts chunky and gritty. I added crisco as per the directions in case I messed it up and overheated it again. It got harder and chunkier. Strike three.

At this point I gave up and melted what chocolate chips I had in my pantry and started dipping. I added the sprinkle eyes and let them chill.

Sadly, this was one of the better ones. Most of them looked like this.

See, cake poops.

Things I've learned.

1. If you attempt to make cake pops, the styrofoam base is a must. I used a cookie cooling rack atop a cookie sheet with a towel on top to minimize slippage. I had many mess ups because I had them slip.
2. Make sure you have all your equipment on hand in advance. 
3. I can't  work with chocolate.

What can I say, I am jealous of all you creative people out there who can work in this type of media. I am not good at this.

                    

                                          Eve

Oreo Truffles

So for those of you reading this, you're probably thinking that I must be 600 lbs because all I ever post on here is food and generally desserts of some kind but it's not true. Sometimes there are dinners.
While searching through blogland I couldn't help but be tempted by the word, "truffle." Really, could you? Now I'm not talking about the dirty, treasures hunted by pigs, but the sweet, morsels of chocolate that call out to you in the middle of the night. I found a very simple recipe for truffles. I have always envisioned truffle-making to be grueling. Images of me sweating in my kitchen over a hot stove with a candy thermometer whilst my slab of marble awaited its turn to be abused have plagued my mind. To my great surprise, I was sorely mistaken. If you can melt chocolate either in a double boiler or in the microwave than you are set. There is not much more involved than that.

As usual, I made some adjustments per my taste. I used Newman-O's cookies because there is something about the thought of using Oreo's that just doesn't jive with me. I'm sure they are mostly the same but using the Newman's cookies makes me feel like I'm using a healthier alternative. I'm probably totally deluding myself on that but hey, whatever works. If I were to make these again, (they have been ok'd for a repeat by the critics,) I would use semi-sweet chocolate to dip them in as mine were too sweet for me. Even The Man thought that they were slightly sweeter than he would prefer and he has quite the sweet tooth. I also did not do the white chocolate drizzle because mine were already too sweet and that would have put it over the top for me. I might, however, consider dipping these in something...nuts, perhaps?...I don't know. I've always wanted to try the chili pepper and chocolate thing but it never comes up when I'm working with chocolate. Maybe next time.
If you want this recipe you can get it from Recipezaar or from WhiMSy love like I did. She does a tute on her site if you are the kind of person who likes pictures.

If you decide to make this please link back to us and share the blog lovin.

                                      

                               Enjoy!

                               

                                  Eve

Cocoa Banana Nutter Muffins.

I had some bananas that were past the point of looking tasty.  So I did what anyone would do and went through my pantry to see what I could make from it. We ended up with a muffin which is one of the things I love to cook because I can make a bunch and freeze them for later.

Here are my ingredients.

1 C White Flour
1 C Whole Wheat Flour
1 C Sugar
1/2 Butter or Margarine
1/2 C Cocoa Powder
3/4 C Diced Pecans
3/4 C Chocolate Chips
3 Ripe Bananas
3 Eggs
1/4 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1 Tblsp Vanilla
Optional Tablespoon of Flax Meal.


Step 1- The Wet stuff.
Preheat oven to 375.

Mix the Butter and Sugar in a bowl.  Cream it up and add the eggs and vanilla and at this point I add the chocolate chips because I want them to be equally mixed in.  Mush the bananas up and add them to the wet bowl.

Step 2- The Dry Stuff.

In a second bowl I have both flours, the pecans, salt, baking soda, cocoa powder and flax meal.  

Step 3- Combine, bake and enjoy. 

Add the dry stuff to the wet stuff and mix it up. 

Either grease or use cupcake liners in a standard sized muffin tin. It will be a thicker batter like a cookie dough so use two spoons to get it into the muffin cups.   Fill the cups 1/2 way full and pop in the oven for 14 minutes. 

Let them cool a bit before getting them from the pan. 

Next time I make them up I will add more chocolate chips.  Just round it up to a 2 C bag of them.  More chocolate is never a bad thing...

XOXO Mist

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

I have heard these called Chocolate Crinkle Cookies but in my house they are Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Cookies. I know that is a lot to say in one breath but it seems to suit them better than "Crinkles." This cookie is not for the faint of heart. This rich, cocoa cookie is filled with mini chocolate chips and dredged in powdered sugar. It is a favorite at my house and one that I can't seem to keep around very long.

The thought of making cookies often hits me at night, just before bed. It may be in part due to the fact that the time after dinner and bedtime routines is my time to reflect and think about what I have done that day and what I have to get done tomorrow. I make my cookie dough at night and leave it in the refrigerator over night to chill. I don't even have to cover it. In the morning I bake my cookies after the little ones have gone to school. That way, I always get the first taste. I think these cookies are best eaten the next day. That is how I like it.

Ingredients

3/4 c     Melted Butter
1 c         Sugar
2            Eggs
1/2 c    Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
2 tsp     Vanilla
2 c         Flour
1 tsp     Baking Powder
1 tsp     Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
6 oz       Mini Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
3/4 c     Confectioner's Sugar

Mix butter, sugar, and cocoa together. Whisk in eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add dry ingredients to chocolate mixture. Do not over mix. Chill dough in refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Form into 1 inch balls and roll in confectioner's sugar. Bake at 350* on ungreased cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit on cookie sheet for at least 5 min. Transfer to cooling rack. Enjoy!!

*Hint* I use parchment paper to make cleanup easier as these are quite messy.

                          

                              Eve