Easy Homemade Nutella

Whipping up a jar full of this stuff is ridiculously easy…

What you need:

-a food processor, or pretty decent blender that can chop up nuts with no worries
-a spoon
-about 3 cups roasted hazelnuts, pieces or whole
-about 1/4 cup (or more) cocoa powder
-a few tablespoons agave, or other liquid sweetener
-1/2 tsp salt
-a jar to store it in
-a lid for the jar

What you do:

Place nuts into food processor and blend until smooth. This could take several minutes. Scrape down the sides as necessary. Add in cocoa powder, agave and salt. Pulse quickly to blend. Stir well, and spoon into your storage jar. Close lid tightly. Store in fridge.

See how easy?!

Fudgy Peanut Butter Cake

Fudgy Peanut Butter Cake

Makes 4 servings
Prep. Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 1½ hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 2- to 3-qt.

Ingredients:
¾ cup sugar, divided
½ cup flour
¾ tsp. baking powder
⅓ cup milk
¼ cup peanut butter
1 Tbsp. oil
½ tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. dry cocoa powder
1 cup boiling water

1. Butter or spray interior of slow cooker.
2. Mix ¼ cup sugar, flour, and baking powder together in a small bowl.
3. In another larger bowl, mix milk, peanut butter, oil, and vanilla together. Beat well.
4. Stir dry ingredients into milk-peanut butter mixture just until combined. Spread in buttered slow cooker.
5. In bowl, combine cocoa powder and remaining ½ cup sugar. Add water, stirring
until well mixed. Pour slowly into slow cooker. Do not stir.
6. Cover. Cook on High 1½ hours, or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.

Serving suggestion: Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Note:
I take this to potlucks and it is always a hit.

Notes from the Recipe Tester:
1. If you double the recipe, cook for 2 hours.
2. This is a pretty sturdy cake. I kept one of my test cakes for over an hour before serving it, and it was just as good, if not better, than the one we ate right away.

Chocolate Nachos

DD1 has decided on an International Food Party (complete with food fight) for her birthday this month. While I was rounding up ideas, I came across this. And yes... it's definitely going on the menu!! Chocolate Nachos -- sugar sweetened tortilla crisps covered with chocolate sauce, mini diced strawberries, sprinkles, strawberry and vanilla ice cream. I think we found our midnite snack...

Reeses Cookies with only 2 ingredients!

Found this at the Picky Palate. Couldn't resist posting :)

Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

24 snack size Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, usually comes in a pack of 8
1 large egg
Sea Salt if desired

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Unwrap all Reeses cups and place into a food processor. Pulse until smooth and combined. Add an egg and pulse until combined. With a medium cookie scoop, scoop dough onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. With the heel of your hand, press each cookie down to about 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle with sea salt if desired. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until cooked through and edges start to crisp. Let cool for 15 minutes on baking sheet before removing to cooling rack.

Makes 12-14 cookies

Brownie Batter Fudge Cupcakes

See, I started with Brownie Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies, and somehow ended up here....




Brownie Batter:
1/4 C butter, melted
1/3 C fat-free sweetened condensed milk (We used regular sweetened condensed milk)
1/3 C milk
1 (18.25 oz) box devil’s food cake mix

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix on medium speed for 2 mins until well combined. Using a small scoop (about 1.5 tbsp) drop batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze overnight or until completely frozen.

Frozen brownie batter nestled inside the unbaked cupake batter


Cupcakes:
1 (18.25 oz) box devil’s food cake mix
1 (3.9 oz) pkg Jello instant chocolate fudge pudding mix
1 C sour cream
1 C vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 C milk
2 C mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Combine all ingredients except chocolate chips into a very large bowl and mix on medium speed for 2 mins until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Using a large scoop (about 3 tbsp) drop batter into the cupcake liners, filling about 2/3rds full. Remove brownie batter from freezer and press into the cupcake batter. Bake for 22-28 mins. Mine only needed to bake for the shorter amount of time. Allow to cool completely before frosting.


Frosting:
5 sticks butter, softened
8 oz powdered sugar
1.5 C unsweetened cocoa powder
a pinch of table salt
1.5 C light corn syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
16 oz milk chocolate chips

Melt chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring well every 30 seconds. Allow to cool for 5-10 mins. Combine butter, sugar, cocoa and salt and mix until smooth. Add the corn syrup and vanilla and process until just combined, then add the melted chocolate and blend until smooth and creamy. Our frosting was pretty thin so we set it in the freezer for just a couple of minutes to thicken. Using a ziploc bag with the corner cut off or an icing bag add a generous swirl of frosting to each cupcake.

*Makes 36 cupcakes!

Ice Cream Cupcakes

Ice Cream Cupcakes, from the incredibly talented Joy The Baker

* One batch brownie batter
* Assorted flavors of ice cream

1. First make the brownie batter. Line two cupcake pans with the foil cupcake liners. Into each cupcake liner, scoop 1 Tablespoon of brownie batter. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 6-8 minutes until the brownie is cooked through.

2. Let the brownies cool in the cupcake pans to room temperature. Once cool, place in the freezer (still in the cupcake pans) for 30 minutes. When you place the cupcake pans in the freezer, remove the ice cream you’re using and place in the refrigerator to soften.

3. When ready to assemble the cupcakes, remove the cupcake pans with foil lined brownie cups from the freezer. Remove the ice cream from the fridge. Run the ice cream scooper under hot water and working quickly, portion a small scoop of ice cream into each foil lined cup, while still in the cupcake pan. The cupcake pan will help the Ice Cream Cupcake hold its shape. You may need to rinse the scooper under hot water in between scoops for easy portioning. Quickly smooth the scoops of ice cream with the back of a small spoon also rinsed in warm water and return the ice cream cupcakes quickly to the freezer.

4. Let the newly formed Ice Cream Cupcakes refreeze for 45 minutes to an hour.

5. To serve, remove the cupcakes from the freezer about 5 minutes before you’d like to serve them. Finish with a dollop of whipped cream and serve.

Mexican chocolate tofu pudding

I could read Bittman all day long!



Mexican chocolate tofu pudding

* 3/4 cup sugar
* 1 pound silken tofu
* 8 ounces high-quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, or more to taste
* Chocolate shavings (optional)

Preparation

1. In a small pot, combine sugar with 3/4 cup water; bring to a boil and cook until sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly.

2. Put all ingredients except for chocolate shavings in a blender and purée until completely smooth, stopping machine to scrape down its sides if necessary. Divide among 4 to 6 ramekins and chill for at least 30 minutes. If you like, garnish with chocolate shavings before serving.
Serving Size

Time: 10 minutes, plus 30 minutes of chilling time. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

CrockPot 5 Layer Brownie Recipe

CrockPot 5 Layer Brownie Recipe

Hold on to your hats. This is one rich, satisfying, amazing dessert. And it took all of 5 minutes to prepare. The most difficult part for me was climbing up on to a bar stool to reach the baking cabinet over the refrigerator.


We were lucky that we had everything on hand for this brainstorm---which is good because after all the vegetable dishes I've been eating lately, my sweet tooth was on the prowl.

The Ingredients.
--1 16 oz package of brownie mix (I had a box of the Whole Foods GF 365 brand--it has chocolate chips in it!)
--1/4 cup melted butter
--1 egg
--1/4 cup water
--1 can sweetened condensed milk
--1/4 cup walnuts
--1/4 cup coconut
--1/4 cup oats (I used Bob Red Mills Gluten Free Rolled Oats)


The Directions.


I used my mini 1.5 quart crockpot for this dish, because my other one had a chicken dish in it (coming tomorrow!). The proportions of the oats, coconut, and walnuts are for the mini crock. If you decide to use a larger size, use enough of the toppings to spread over the whole surface area.

--melt butter (I was lazy and didn't want to dirty another bowl, so I melted the butter in the crock while I was doing the dishes)

--add 1/4 cup of water, the egg, and the brownie mix

--stir until none of the powder is left dry; batter will be quite thick

--pour can of sweetened condensed milk over the top.

--Shuffle children quickly out of the kitchen because you are "working" and lick out the inside of the can, being careful so you don't cut off your tongue.

--wash sweetened condensed milk off of your face

--cover milk with a layer of oats, then coconut, then walnuts.

--close up crockpot and cook on high, if using a little crock, low if using a bigger one. Test with a knife after two hours, if it comes out clean, cook for another 20-30 minutes with the lid off to get rid of the collected condensation and to help solidify the condensed milk. You will know this is done when the edges pull away from your stoneware.

Since I used my mini crockpot, this cooked for about 4 1/2 hours altogether. That's a really long time to wait for brownies, so I needed to go to Target and buy stuff we didn't need to eat up the time.


The Verdict.

Well worth the wait.
We ate these for dinner.
and then for breakfast.
and we were happy.

We have cake.

Kind of like that Southern classic cake, the name of which I cannot say lest an innocent child stumble upon my blog ;), but this one has a few different ingredients.

Servings: 16-20
Cook time:35-38 minutes

Ingredients:
Vegetable oil spray for misting the pan
1 (18.25 ounce) package plain devil's food cake mix
½ cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs

Topping:
1 (8 ounce) jar caramel topping
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
4 (2.1 ounce each) Butterfinger candy bars, crushed
1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature



Directions:
Spray a 13" x 9" pan with Pam and set it aside. Preheat oven to 350º.

Put cake mix, water, oil, and eggs in large bowl and blend (with electric mixer) on low for 1 minute.
Scrape down the bowl, then resume blending on medium for 2 minutes.
Pour the batter in to the pan and smooth out the top of it.
Put the cake on the center rack and bake for 35 to 38 minutes or until the cake springs back when you touch it with your finger.
When it's done, poke holes in the cake with a chopstick or straw.

Make the topping by combining the caramel topping and sweetened condensed milk in a small bowl; stir.
Spoon it over the warm cake, letting it seep into the holes.
Sprinkle half of the crushed Butterfinger candy bars over the cake.

Put thawed, whipped topping with the cream cheese in a bowl and blend on low for a minute.

Spread over the cake.
Sprinkle with the rest of the candy.
Chill for 20 minutes (in the fridge) before cutting.
Will store in the fridge for a week... if it lasts that long.

Jiggle Fluff Pie

Strawberry and chocolate jiggle-fluff pie
Sunny Anderson

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups salted pretzels, lightly broken
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
• 7 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 4 cups heavy cream, chilled and divided
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Salt
• 2 cups pineapple juice
• 1 6-ounce box strawberry-flavored powdered gelatin mix
• 2 cups frozen chopped strawberries, thawed
• 1-ounce piece semisweet chocolate bar, for shaving

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a 13-by-9 inch pan, add the pretzels, butter and 2 tablespoons sugar. Stir to combine. Press mixture into the bottom of the pan and bake eight to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

In a stand mixer or a medium bowl, add the cream cheese, 2 tablespoons sugar, powdered sugar and cocoa powder, and beat until well blended. In a clean bowl, combine 2 cups of the heavy cream, vanilla, 1 tablespoon sugar, and a pinch of salt and beat until soft peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into cream cheese mixture and spread it evenly over the cooled pretzel crust.

Add the pineapple juice to a small pot over medium-high heat, and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat, add the gelatin powder and stir to dissolve. Add the strawberries and let mixture come to room temperature or quick chill it over a bowl filled with ice water while whisking. Pour the gelatin mixture over cream cheese layer and refrigerate until set, which takes about one hour.

Whip the remaining 2 cups of heavy cream with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. When the strawberry gelatin layer is set, smooth the whipped cream over the top and sprinkle evenly with chocolate shavings.

Refrigerate at least two hours before serving.

Black Bean Brownies

Brownies
Ingredients

1, 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup agave syrup
½ cup self-rising flour
½ cup egg whites
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
2 tbsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
6 tbsp mini semisweet chocolate chips



Directions

In a food processor, mix all brownie ingredients (except chips) together. Chop on high, until smooth. Clean off sides and blend for another 20 seconds. Add the chips in and stir well. Spread into the 8x8 baking dish. Cook for 20 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for about 1 hour in dish at room temperature.

Frosting
Ingredients

6 oz fat-free cream cheese
¼ cup agave syrup
2 tbsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp semisweet mini chocolate chips, melted.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350º. Lightly spray a 8x8 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. With a whisk attachment on an electric beater and blend all ingredients until light and fluffy. Spread evenly over the top of the cooled brownies. In a microwave safe bowl, melt the 2 tbsp of chips with a 2 second spray of nonstick cooking oil. Using a spoon, swirl the chocolate on top. Allow it to set in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Serve and enjoy. Don't forget to have seconds!

Nutella Berry Toast

Mascarpone, Nutella, and Fresh Berry Toasts

You really don't need measurements for this recipe. An (8-ounce) tub of mascarpone cheese and 2 pints of berries should make about a dozen toasts.

A (1 pound) loaf of sliced Italian bread
Butter for toasting
1 jar Nutella
1 (8-ounce tub) mascarpone cheese
2 pints fresh berries, such as raspberries, blueberries, or strawberries

1. Lightly butter bread and toast until golden.

2. Smear on a layer of Nutella, then top with a layer of mascarpone. Arrange fresh berries on top. Serve immediately. Await praise.

National Chocolate Day

Spiced Soy Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups light chocolate soy milk
1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, combine soy milk, peanut butter, and cinnamon.
2. Cook over low to medium heat, whisking frequently, until mixture is smooth and peanut butter is melted, about 5 minutes.
3. Serve in mug. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with cocoa powder, if desired.

Makes one 12-ounce serving

7.5 grams soy protein per serving

Chocolate Cravings...

Since I don't know any Girl Scouts to buy Thin Mints from, I might just have to try to make my own....hmmm.



Chocolate Mint Wafers

SERVINGS: 18-24

METHOD: Microwave

TIME: Prep: 20 min. + standing
Ingredients:

* 4 ounces dark chocolate candy coating
* 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
* 18 to 24 vanilla wafers -- I hear you can do this w Ritz, too

Directions:
Place candy coating and extract in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 30-60 seconds or until smooth, stirring every 15 seconds.
Dip vanilla wafers in coating; allow excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper; let stand until set. Store in an airtight container. Yield: about 1-1/2 dozen.

My next adventure: Chocolate "Cheese"cake

Chocolate "Cheese"cake

Ingredients:

1 block of Silken Tofu (drained)
1 Graham Cracker Pie Crust
1 cup chocolate soymilk
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

1. Cut block of tofu into small chunks and put into the blender.
2. Add soymilk, sugar, vanilla extract, and cocoa powder and blend well until smooth. If you'd like, add chocolate chips.
3. Once all are combined, pour into the pie crust and bake for 35-60 minutes in a preheated oven at 350º or until the top appears solid.
4. Chill for 1-2 hrs before serving. Garnish with soy whip or other non-dairy whipped topping.

Notes: I wonder how it would set with a swirl of peanut butter in there... or maybe bananas.... or maybe both. And y'know, I think pb chips instead of choc chips might do the same thing. OH!! Wouldn't this be good as mini's??

Dessert Pizza

Today's post is for my friend, Deb. She's looking for a way to use sugar cookie dough. This was the first thing to sprang to mind. Always a favorite and it always disappears. I offer 2 variations for you, Deb. Lemme know how it goes :)

Fruit pizza

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

• 1 (18 ounce) package refrigerated sugar cookie dough
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 
  
• 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
• 
  
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon orange zest

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Slice cookie dough and arrange on greased pizza pan, overlapping edges. Press dough flat into pan. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Allow to cool.
2. In a large bowl, soften cream cheese, then fold in the whipped topping. Spread over cooled crust. You can chill for a while at this point, or continue by arranging the fruit.
3. Begin with strawberries, sliced in half. Arrange in a circle around the outside edge. Continue with fruit of your choice, working towards the middle. If bananas are used, dip them in lemon juice so they don't darken. Then make a sauce to spoon over fruit.
4. In a saucepan, combine sugar, salt, corn starch, orange juice, lemon juice and water. Cook and stir over medium heat. Bring to a boil, and cook for 1 or 2 minutes, until thickened. Remove from heat, and add grated orange rind. Allow to cool, but not set up. Spoon over fruit. Chill for two hours, then cut into wedges and serve.

Note: Instead of making the glaze, the easy cheat is to melt down some apple jelly and pour it over the top in place of the glaze. Still gives you that finishing touch, but you don't have to 'cook' as much. And as you can see by the pictures, you can use it any occasion.

OPtion #2 for base: For the base: Mix ricotta cheese with vanilla, sugar and lemon zest. Reserve for topping. (Adventure Club: Add store-bought or home-made passion fruit puree to the ricotta cheese mixture.)

S'mores Pizza

Ingredients

• 1 (16 1/2 ounce) package refrigerated chocolate chip (or sugar) cookie dough
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• 2 cups graham crackers, broken in 1 inch pieces
• 2 cups miniature marshmallows
• chocolate syrup, for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Spread the softened cookie dough into a lightly greased pizza pan, flattening it to the edges.
2. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes until it begins to brown SLIGHTLY.
3. Remove the cookie from the oven and sprinkle the top with with the chocolate chips, graham crackers and marshmallows.
4. Return the cookie to the oven for 5-8 minutes until crust is brown and chips and marshmallows are melted.
5. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
6. Garnish with chocolate syrup, if desired.