Flax-laden Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins Thursday, Apr 4 2013

I’ve been trying to add more fiber into our diet these days. This recipe I caught my eye since they contain so much ground flax, which is so high in fiber content! I thought they would be dense, but they worked beautifully, and my whole family is eating them up! One would never know there is so much ground flax in them. 🙂

Flax-laden Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

3/4 cup butter/margarine
3 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups mashed banana (approx 4 bananas)
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 cups whole grain flour
1 cup white flour
3/4 cup ground flax*
2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 to 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Beat together butter, vanilla, eggs, sugar, bananas, and lemon juice. Add in dry ingredients and mix until mixed in. Fold in chocolate chips. Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes.

* You can easily grind flax seeds in a coffee grinder!

Leave a Response »

 

Zucchini Brownies Wednesday, Aug 15 2012

I had these at my sister’s and they were so good! My sons gobbled them up, as her girls always do too. I came home from that visit and wasted no time in making these! YUM! They’re easy to make, and sure to satisfy any chocolate craving. 🙂

 

 

Zucchini Brownies

1/2 cup oil or applesauce (I’ve had them both ways and YUM!)
1 1/2 cups sugar (I reduced mine to 1 cup successfully, not as sweet but still yummy)
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour (I’ve made it with 1 cup white and 1 cup spelt, as well as 100% wheat)
1/2 cup cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cups chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnuts, optional (I don’t care for nuts in baking like this, so I omitted)

Mix all together, pour in 9×13″ greased pan, and bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes! My sister bakes hers in mini muffin tins, perfect size for children, and to freeze for later cravings (if it lasts that long!). 🙂

One Response »

 

Cranberry Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies Wednesday, May 9 2012

We were recently on a trip for 18 days. Towards the end of the trip, I was getting pretty antsy to get back into my kitchen! I think I’m addicted to cooking and baking, is that bad? 🙂  My birthday was right when we returned and I had no time or energy to make a cake. I still craved a homemade sweet though, and really wanted cranberries and chocolate, and these cookies were the result! Yum! I’ll be making these again! I thought there would be some left for potluck on Sunday… but I doubt it. 😉 They are loaded, with yummy-ness!

Cranberry Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

(Makes 3 dozen small cookies)

1 cup butter/margarine
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup shredded coconut
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 1/2 cup wheat or white flour (I used 1 3/4 cups of spelt)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Cream together butter, brown sugar, and eggs. Mix together dry ingredients, and add in to the butter mixture. Finally, stir in cranberries and chocolate chip. Scoop unto greased cookie sheets, bake 12 minutes at 350F!

Leave a Response »

 

Quinoa Fudge Sour Cream Cake Saturday, Apr 7 2012

This recipe is a bit past my comfort zone, in that it takes quinoa! I love quinoa, but I don’t use it much because I can’t buy it in bulk. And I’m a save-money-by-buying-bulk type of gal. 😉  I decided to try it though, and it’s very delicious! It’s a bit more crumbly than my favourite Chocolate Spelt Fudge Cake, but still very delicious!

I wanted to make this recipe so anyone can make it, so I ground my quinoa in my coffee grinder instead of using my grain mill. It worked great! Just grind until the quinoa looks like a fine flour. 🙂

Quinoa Fudge Sour Cream Cake

2 eggs, separated
1/4 cup butter (soft)
1/4 cup hot water
1/4 cup cocoa
1 cup maple syrup
1 1/4 cup quinoa flour (I used my coffee grinder to make the flour!)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup pecans (optional)*

Beat egg whites until stiff. Set aside. Mix remaining ingredients in bowl until moist. Gently fold in egg whites. Pour into greased 8″x8″ pan. Bake at 375F for 30-35 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

*I don’t care much for nuts in breads and cakes. I put 1/2 cup, but next time I’ll omit. Or, substitute with chocolate chips! 😉

This recipe is from Sensible Cooking.

One Response »

 

Chocolate Banana “Ice Cream” Wednesday, Feb 1 2012

It’s rather difficult taking good pictures these days! Our days are so short that we eat supper every night in the dark. Since that’s when I usually make something to photograph, I have to resort to using the flash. My recent pictures all frustrate me, but oh well, that’s how it is right now where I live. 🙂

Doesn’t it look good? It’s healthy “ice cream”! We haven’t actually bought any ice cream in over a year, so anything remotely like ice cream brings much excitement for my 3yr old! 🙂

I got the idea from Pinterest, and it worked quite well! Dairy free, sugar free, low calories, and deliciously easy! I didn’t measure it, just added cocoa to taste.

 

Chocolate-Banana “Ice Cream”

Frozen banana(s)
2 Tbsp cocoa powder

Freeze a banana, then combine with cocoa powder and blend until smooth and creamy. I pulsed mine in the food processor, then finished mixing it by hand. Scooped it into a sugar cone, and we had “ice cream” for dessert!

3 Responses »

 

Crispy Peanut Squares Wednesday, Dec 28 2011

These are so simple to make. They’re very similar to Buckeye Candy, but in a bar form! Peanut butter + Chocolate = Love!!!

From Jean Pare’s “150 Delicious Squares” recipe book.

Crispy Peanut Squares

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 tsp butter or margarine
2 cups rice krispies (puffed rice)
1 cup peanuts

Melt peanut butter, corn syrup, brown sugar and butter on low heat, stirring constantly.

In a bowl, mix rice krispies and peanuts. Pour melted peanut butter mix over this dry mix. Stir well to coat evenly. Press in a greased 8×8″ pan.*

Topping:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 cup sugar

Melt all 3 ingredients in a small pot until well melted. Cool until it reaches a spreadable consistency. Spread on top of bars. Cool. Use a sharp knife to cut.

* Tip: Line your dish with foil paper (overlapping the sides) before putting your layers in. Then, once cooled, it is easy to lift the entire square of bars out and cuts much easier than trying to cut and lift each little square out of the dish.

 

One Response »

 

Buckeye Candy Tuesday, Dec 20 2011

I was introduced to these homemade candies when I moved to my current town, 6 years ago. Now? Christmas isn’t Christmas without them!! They taste soooo good, look so pretty, and, well, I love these. 🙂  They’re sure to be a hit wherever you bring them! How could they not with peanut butter and chocolate combined?!

Buckeye Candy

1 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
12 oz chocolate chips
2 Tbsp butter or margarin
1 cup rice krispies (optional)

Cream together peanut butter and 1st amount of butter (1/4 cup). Mic in vanilla and icing sugar (and the optional rice krispies if you want). Shape into 1″ balls. Freeze them on a cookie sheet.

Melt chocolate chips and 2nd amount of butter (2 Tbsp). Stick a toothpick in a buckeye and dip into chocolate, leaving top undipped. Place on waxed paper to cool. Repeat with each ball you made!

Tip: when removing toothpick from buckeye, use you finger to hide the hole made by the toothpick.

One Response »

 

Coconut Chocolate Bars Sunday, Dec 18 2011

I first made these last year and OH. MY. GOODNESS! These little babies are like a chocolate bar from the store… but homemade. And SO. GOOD! Yum! They’re a bit of a pain to make, but well worth the effort!

This year, I decorated the tops of half of them. Leave it to me to forgot to take a picture though! I melted white chocolate and made stripes on the top of these. Pretty!

If you like chocolate. And coconut. You’ll want to make these!

Recipe is from Tea Time Magazine, issue 2010. Recipe is also available online.

(Picture from Tea Time Magazine’s website)

Coconut Chocolate Bars

14 oz shredded coconut (1 2/3 cup)
1/2 cup corn syrup
24 whole roasted almonds (optional)
18 oz semisweet chocolate chips
2 Tbsp oil

In large bowl, combine coconut and corn syrup. Using your hands or a wooden spoon, knead until coconut is saturated. Place in refrigerator for about 20 minutes.

Line a cookie sheet with waxed or parchment paper. Remove coconut from refrigerator, and shape into bite-size rectangles. Top each rectangle with an almond (if desired). Refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes.

Melt chocolate on low heat until melted and smooth. Let cool slightly, and stir in oil. Using a fork, dip each coconut rectangle in chocolate, tapping off excess. Refrigerate on prepared cookie sheet until chocolate is set. Once cooled completely, decorate with melted chocolate, if desired.

Store in an airtight container with waxed or parchment paper between layers.

One Response »

 

World’s Easiest Christmas Candy Friday, Dec 16 2011

Crystal, from Money Saving Mom, has this recipe on her website: World’s Easiest Christmas Candy. And you know what? Is IS! Super easy, super yummy, and super quick. What else do you need to hear before you make these? 🙂 Head over to her website if you want a tutorial with lots of pictures. 🙂

I added some crushed candy canes on top for a more festive look, and minty flavor. Delicious! I made it for a Christmas baking swap with friends, as a snack, and made sure that they took the rest of this home so that I wouldn’t eat it all. 😉

World’s Easiest Christmas Candy

1 sleeve soda crackers (I used wheat)
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups chocolate chips

On a baking sheet, spread out soda crackers. Melt butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until gooey. Pour over crackers and bake at 350 degrees for five minutes, or until bubbly.

Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Let sit for a few minutes until chocolate chips begin to melt. Then, spread over crackers evenly with a spatula.

Stick in the freezer for an hour, or until chocolate hardens. Break into small pieces and put into gift containers or baggies. Store in the freezer until ready to eat or give away.

Optional: sprinkle crushed candy canes on top before cooling.

One Response »

 

Chocolate-Mint Thins (Shortbread) Monday, Dec 12 2011

I made these cookies (brown/green) this year for the first time. They look so pretty on a platter of Christmas goodies, and how can you go wrong with mint and chocolate twisted together like that?! 🙂

This recipe is from the Christmas Cookies magazine by Better Homes and Garden.

Chocolate-Mint Thins

1 cup butter, softened (I used stick margarine)
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder or 1 oz semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1 tsp mint extract
Green food coloring

In a large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar. Beat until combined, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. Divide dough in half.

Add cocoa powder to one dough portion; stir until combined. Add mint extract and a few drops of green food coloring to the remaining dough portion; stir until combined. Divide each portion in half (two chocolate dough portions and two mint dough portions).

Shape each dough portion into a 9″ rope. Loosely twist together one rope of chocolate dough and one rope of mint dough. Gently roll ropes together to form a 9″ log; repeat with other two ropes (you will have two 9″ logs). Wrap each log in waxed paper or plastic wrap. Chill for about 1 hour of until dough is firm enough to slice.

Preheat oven to 350F. Cut logs unto 1/4″ slices. Place slices 2″ apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges are firm. Transfer to a wire rack, cool completely. Makes about 60 cookies.

3 Responses »