Chocolate Caramel Blossoms

December 20, 2012 by

Too…many…cookies….

I’m not sure I can eat another cookie right now. I know, I sound like a crazy person, but I just can’t eat any more for a while…maybe for like 3 days or something.

But, before I start my cookie hiatus, I have to tell you about these cookies first. Earlier this week, I told you I don’t like peppermint. Today, I am going to tell you that chocolate and caramel are two of the greatest things in the universe. Yup, the universe.

So I am not going to waste any more time and will go straight the recipe. Hubs and I are off to Ohio to spend Christmas with my family. And yes, we are driving. Why? Because we hate ourselves. And also, plane tickets were out of control.

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Chocolate Caramel Blossoms

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 32 minutes

Yield: About 16 cookies

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar plus 1/4 cup
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp. instant espresso (optional)
  • about 16 Hershey's caramel kisses (chilled in the refrigerator or the freezer)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and 2/3 cup sugar. Mix in the egg and vanilla extract.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, salt, and espresso powder.
  4. Mix the dry ingredients in with the wet ingredients until well-combined.
  5. Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat. Place the remaining sugar in a small bowl. Using your hands, roll the dough into 1-inch balls (about 1 tablespoon). Roll each ball into the sugar until lightly coated and place on the baking sheet about 1-2 inches apart.
  6. Bake cookies for about 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool for about 2 minutes. Place a kiss in the center of each cookie and press down gently.
http://eat-drink-love.com/2012/12/chocolate-caramel-blossoms/
Filed Under: Cookies, Cristmas, Desserts, Holidays · Tagged With: , , , , , , 13 Comments

Monster Munch

October 9, 2012 by

Ok, I hope you guys are ready for a difficult recipe. This one is a doozy. You ready?!

So, to make Monster Munch, all you need to do is throw a bunch of crap in a bowl and mix it together. I know. So complicated.

If you want to cut some of the sugar, then I would start with choosing a lower sugar cereal, such as plain Cherrios, Kix, or Chex. I would also omit or cut down on the candy corn. Although it totally rocks, let’s face it, it’s pure sugar deliciousness.

This recipe is so stupid easy, I’m just going to give you a list of ingredients that would work well. Whatever you decide to use, you really can’t go wrong because monsters will eat anything. Serve it in a large bowl at your Halloween party or scoop some into cute treat bags or jars to give as party favors!

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Monster Munch

Ingredients

  • cereal - Cherrios, Chex, Kix (any variety of these that you prefer)
  • M&M's
  • pretzels
  • peanuts
  • candy corn
  • Mellocreme pumpkins
  • popcorn
  • gummy worms

Instructions

  1. Combine ingredients in a large serving bowl or divide amongst party treat bags.
http://eat-drink-love.com/2012/10/monster-munch/
Filed Under: Kid-Friendly, Snacks · Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , 23 Comments

Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Frosting

September 11, 2012 by

Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Frosting

Who likes cupcakes?

Who likes chocolatey cupcakes topped with chocolate chip cookie dough frosting?

If you answered “no” to any of the above questions, please leave.

These cupcakes might be the best thing that ever happened. Ever. When my husband eats one, he says he is the luckiest man alive. That’s pretty serious!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Frosting

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Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Frosting

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Yield: 18-24 cupcakes (see note)

Ingredients

    For the cupcakes:
  • 1 box devil’s food cake mix
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 4 eggs
  • ½ cup milk
  • 1 box instant chocolate pudding mix
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
    • For the frosting:
  • 1 ½ sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt
  • ¾ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • Milk (about 2-3 tbs. to thin out, add as needed)

Instructions

    For the cupcakes:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Mix together until everything is well-combined, but try to avoid over-mixing the batter.
  3. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners; fill each liner a little more than ¾ of the way full with batter. Bake for about 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
    4. For the frosting:
  4. In a bowl, beat together the butter and sugars until creamy with a hand or stand mixer.
  5. Mix in the vanilla extract, flour, and salt. Stir in the chocolate chips.
  6. Spoon some of the frosting on top of each cooled cupcake and spread with a knife.

Notes

I like for my cupcakes to be a little bigger, so I got about 18 cupcakes out of this recipe instead of the usual 24. You can certainly make them smaller if desired, but you may also want to mix up some extra of the cookie dough frosting

http://eat-drink-love.com/2012/09/chocolate-cupcakes-with-chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-frosting/

This post was originally a guest post for my sweet friend, Emily over at Life on Food. So, please go give Emily a shout out and check out the recipe!
Filed Under: Cupcakes, Desserts · Tagged With: , , , , 24 Comments

Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies

August 10, 2012 by

GUESS WHAT?!!!

I passed my dissertation defense!!! I am Dr. Stephanie!!!!

WOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Let’s celebrate with some fattening and delicious cookies!!!

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Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: About 20 cookies

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup chocolate hazelnut spread
  • 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • dash of salt
  • 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugars. Mix in the egg, chocolate hazelnut spread, and vanilla extract.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Slowly beat in the dry mixture in with the wet mixture until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
  4. On a lined baking sheet, spoon out dough, in about 1 heaping tablespoon, onto the pan, leaving about 2 inches in between each cookie. Bake for about 10-12 minutes.
http://eat-drink-love.com/2012/08/chocolate-hazelnut-cookies/
Filed Under: Cookies, Desserts · Tagged With: , , , , , 45 Comments

Skinny Bitch Tuesdays: Chocolate Strawberry Crisp

August 7, 2012 by

It’s Skinny Bitch Tuesday!!

It was my turn this week to pick out the recipe and I decided to go for a dessert since we haven’t done a Skinny Bitch dessert yet! So, I chose the peach crisp. I love crisps because they are easy to make and the possibilities are endless! Clearly, my crisp is not a peach crisp. I went for a strawberry crisp! And what would make a strawberry crisp even better? That’s right. Chocolate. I’ve never put chocolate in a crisp, but I am going to do it again because this crisp was freaking awesome!

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Skinny Bitch Tuesdays: Chocolate Strawberry Crisp

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

Calories per serving: 245

Ingredients

  • 4 1/2 cups sliced strawberries, stems removed
  • 2 tbs. sugar
  • 1 tbs. lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/8 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 2 tbs. honey or maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup oats
  • 1/2 cup granola
  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  • dash of salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a bowl, add the sliced strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Mix to combine. Pour the mixture into a 8x8 baking dish.
  3. Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the strawberries.
  4. In another bowl, combine the oats, granola, salt, and cinnamon. Stir in the melted coconut oil and honey (or maple syrup). Spread the mixture evenly over the strawberries.
  5. Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes or until the fruit bubbles.

Notes

Adapted from Skinny Bitch

http://eat-drink-love.com/2012/08/skinny-bitch-tuesdays-chocolate-strawberry-crisp/

Don’t forget to check out what the other Skinny Bitch gals made!

Jennifer of Peanut Butter and Peppers

Michelle of The Healthy Bites
Filed Under: Desserts · Tagged With: , , , , , , , , 20 Comments

Peanut Butter Coconut Protein Bars

April 18, 2012 by

I don’t eat protein bars too often, but sometimes when I have a crazy day at work and don’t really have time for breakfast or lunch, having a bar in my bag is a life saver. And alright, so this is not my prettiest recipe. I won’t deny that. BUT, trust me when I say that these protein bars are delicious! I hate buying protein bars at the store. At $3 a bar, it adds up fast. These bars are super simple to make and I bet you already have most the ingredients in your kitchen.

I went ahead and calculated the calories for these bars and without the chocolate topping, you are looking at around 263 calories a bar. Certainly not a low calorie snack, but keep in mind that these bars are really meant to be eaten as a meal replacement or as a pre/post workout snack. Although it may not look like it from the photos, I added a thin layer of chocolate on top. While the chocolate certainly makes these more tasty, it also adds calories, so use the chocolate at your own discretion! The great thing about this recipe is you can really tweak it to meet your own dietary needs. I think the key is that you have to use some type of flour to bind the other ingredients together.

These bars are best eaten chilled or out of the freezer. I put mine in a lunch bag with a freezer pack along with my other snacks for the day. The bars get a little crumbly as they get to room temperature, but either way, I think they still taste good!

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Peanut Butter Coconut Protein Bars

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 8 bars

Serving Size: 1 bar

Calories per serving: 263

Ingredients

  • 1 small ripe banana, mashed
  • 2 tbs. honey or agave nectar (optional or to taste)
  • 1 tbs. coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
  • 3/4 cup oat flour (or whole wheat flour)
  • 1/2 cup quick oats
  • 1/2 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
  • 3 scoops vanilla whey protein powder (can also use rice protein powder to make vegan)
  • 1/2-3/4 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips + 1/2 tsp. vanilla (both optional)

Instructions

  1. Combine the banana, honey, coconut oil, and peanut butter in a bowl.
  2. In a separate bowl, combine the oat flour, oats, coconut, and protein powder.
  3. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until well-combined.
  4. Prepare a baking sheet with foil or wax paper. Divide the batter into 8 equal portions. Shape into bars and place on the baking sheet. If not using chocolate, transfer directly to the freezer or fridge.
  5. If you want to add the chocolate topping, melt the chocolate in the microwave or over a double boiler. Stir in the vanilla extract. Spoon the chocolate over each bar and then place into the freezer or fridge.
http://eat-drink-love.com/2012/04/peanut-butter-coconut-protein-bars/
Filed Under: Breakfast, Snacks · Tagged With: , , , , , 79 Comments

Chocolate Cashew Butter

February 17, 2012 by

Woo! It’s Friday friends! I’m visiting my mom, brother, and stepdad this weekend so I’m going to make this post short and sweet. I have been wanting to make my own nut butters for a while. I thought about doing a chocolate almond butter, but the Hubs has a thing for cashews so chocolate cashew butter it was! This chocolate cashew butter was super tasty and would perfect to use smeared with some jelly on a sandwich, with apple slices, or in cookies! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

If you haven’t done so yet, don’t forget to enter my giveaway to win an adorable coffee scoop from Uncommon Goods! The giveaway is open until Sunday at 11:59pm (EST)!

Chocolate Cashew Butter

Makes about 2 cups of cashew butter

Ingredients:

– 2 cups unsalted cashews

– 2-3 tbs. vegetable or coconut oil

– pinch of salt (or to taste)

– 2 tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder

– 1/4-1/2 cup honey or agave nectar (optional)

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to a food processor and process until the butter reaches your desired consistency. You may want to only add one tablespoon of the oil at at time and only add more if needed. If you want the butter to be smoother, add more oil.

Notes:
- I left mine on the thicker side, but the longer you process, the more smooth it will become!
- Adding the honey or agave nectar is totally optional. If you don’t want your cashew butter to have a sweet taste, then don’t add it!
- Cashews can spoil very quickly, so store your cashew butter in a container in the fridge!

Oh! And before I forget, I want to give a big thanks to Ramona over at Curry and Comfort for passing the Happy Blogger award to me! Thanks so much, Ramona!
Filed Under: Desserts, Low-Sugar/Sugar-Free, Snacks · Tagged With: , , , , 45 Comments

Low-Fat Choco Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

July 17, 2011 by


Sorry I haven’t posted in a while! The last week and the next two weeks are so crazy for me with a conference and out-of-state travels to visit family! But for now, it’s time for me to tell you about this awesome smoothie I have been making!

The name of this recipe is quite a mouthful, isn’t it?! I probably could have thought of something shorter and more creative, but I’m too dang tired! I had a craving for a smoothie the other day, but I didn’t want my usual fruit smoothie. I wanted something chocolatey, more like a milkshake, but without all the fat and sugar. And though my husband (the milkshake connoisseur) would disagree, I think this is a great substitute for a milkshake. This smoothie is rich and filling because of the peanut butter and banana. Not only is this smoothie low in fat, but it also low in sugar if you use the natural peanut butter.

Low-Fat Choco Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

Serves 1-2

Ingredients:

– 2 cups ice

– 1 cup skim milk

– 1 medium banana, quartered

– 2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

– 1 tbs. all natural peanut butter

– Optional: 1 tbs. ground flaxseed

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth and enjoy!
Filed Under: Desserts, Drinks · Tagged With: , , , , , 2 Comments

Triple Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

June 11, 2011 by

You know how I said I try to make healthy recipes whenever possible? Well, this one is the complete opposite of healthy. But you know what? Sometimes you gotta splurge and a birthday is the perfect excuse for splurging! No, it’s not my birthday, but it was my mom’s birthday and I wanted to surprise her with a delicious birthday treat! One of the reasons I wanted to start this blog was to improve not just my cooking skills, but also my baking skills. You see, aside from chocolate chip cookies and quick breads, my baking skills aren’t so great. I spent the last few days scouring the internet trying to figure out what kind of cupcakes I would make for my mom. Like mother, like daughter, my mom and I are both chocoholics.  So, I knew one thing – they needed to be chocolate. The more chocolatey, the better! The other thing I knew was that I was hesitant to make these completely from scratch. I didn’t want to risk them not rising or not tasting good and since I didn’t have much time, I decided to use a “doctored” cake mix recipe. By adding just a few extra ingredients, these cupcakes have more of the homemade taste that I was going for.  For the frosting, I whipped up my own chocolate cream cheese frosting.  Overall, these cupcakes came out great and I would definitely make them again. Happy Birthday, Mom!

Triple Chocolate Cupcakes

From All Recipes

Ingredients for the cupcakes:

Makes 24 cupcakes

– 1 box devil’s food cake mix

– 1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix

– 2 tsp. vanilla extract

– 1 cup sour cream

– 1 cup vegetable oil*

– 4 eggs

– 1/2 cup milk

– 1 1/2 cups mini semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and mix all ingredients in a large bowl except the chocolate chips. Once all of the other ingredients are mixed together, add in chocolate chips.

2. Place cupcake liners into muffin pan and pour batter into cups filling each cup approximately 3/4 of the way. Bake for 19-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.

Ingredients for the frosting (24 cupcakes):

– 2 8-ounce boxes of cream cheese, softened

– 8 cups confectioner’s sugar

– 4 Tbs. shortening*

– 2 tsp. vanilla extract

– 3 1/2 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder

– 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

Directions:

1. Using a hand mixer or the paddle attachment on a stand mixer, cream cream cheese, butter, and shortening together. Add in vanilla extract and cocoa powder and mix until thoroughly combined.

2. Add in confectioner’s sugar, one cup at at time until sugar is completely combined.

Notes:
- The original recipe calls for 1 cup of vegetable oil. This seems like a lot to me.  I only added about 3/4 of a cup.

- You might want to chill the frosting for about 10 or 15 minutes before frosting if you plan to use a piping bag and decorating tip to frost your cupcakes.

- When I first read this recipe and saw that it required shortening, I kind of cringed, however, after reading the comments from everyone, it is recommended to make your frosting a little more stable. You don’t have to use it if you don’t want to though!
Filed Under: Cupcakes, Desserts · Tagged With: , , , 4 Comments

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

June 3, 2011 by

Chocolate and peanut butter. Peanut butter and chocolate. Two of the greatest foods on earth and when combined together, it’s pure bliss! This pie is awesome not just because it includes two of my favorite ingredients, but also because it’s low-fat and low-sugar, AND it’s so easy to make, a caveman could do it (no offense to any cavemen reading this…). By using low-fat and sugar-free ingredients, this pie is guilt-free and totally bangarang! (yes, I was watching Hook while I made this…)

I wish I could have made this completely sugar-free, but my grocery store doesn’t carry sugar-free crust. For the peanut butter, I used the all-natural kind which is much lower in sugar compared to the regular kind. If you aren’t worried about calories or sugar, feel free to swap these ingredients for the regular kind. If you do want to make this completely sugar-free, I do know you can get sugar-free crust and sugar-free peanut butter at health food stores or online.

Now, since this is a pudding pie, it is not very easy to serve. If you want a good presentation and be able to have neat and clean slices, I recommend freezing the pie for an hour or two before serving it. Just make sure it doesn’t freeze all the way through or it will be icy and you’ll have to wait for it to defrost a bit.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Ingredients:

Makes 1 Pie

– 1 8 oz. container sugar-free Cool Whip, defrosted
– 1 1.4 oz. box instant chocolate sugar-free fat-free pudding
– 2 cups skim milk
– 1/4-1/3 cup all-natural peanut butter (add more if you want more peanut butter flavor)
– 1 reduced-fat graham cracker crust
– Optional (for garnish): chocolate bar (for shaving), chocolate sprinkles, cocoa powder

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix pudding and skim milk together. Pudding should set in about 5 minutes.

2. Melt peanut butter in microwave for approximately 20 seconds. Mix into pudding mixture.

3. Add half of the container of Cool Whip and mix well. Pour pudding mixture into pie crust.

4. Use the remaining Cool Whip to spread over the top of the pie. You can garnish the pie with shaved chocolate, sprinkles, cocoa powder, whatever you like! Refrigerate pie for 1 hour before serving.
Filed Under: Desserts, Low-Carb, Low-Sugar/Sugar-Free · Tagged With: , , , , , 2 Comments