Nutella Brownie Balls.

If you follow my blog, you know I have made cake balls before. But I was wanting some super chocolaty Nutella ones when it dawned on me to make them with brownies instead of cake and Nutella in lieu of frosting. I improvised the recipe and they turned out amazing, much better than cake balls if you ask me. The sea salt is the key - it just brings out the sweetness so much more. 

Ingredients:

-Brownies (either from scratch or a box - I used Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate Brownies)

-Molding Dark Chocolate

-Nutella

-Coco Powder

-Sea Salt

It took me a few hours to make and yields around 24 Brownie Balls.

Step 1: 

Bake the brownies and let them cool completely. I cut mine into pieces so it would cool faster.

Step 2: 

Crumble brownies into the smallest pieces you can. They don't crumble as easy as cake does, so do your best to break it up.

Step 3: 

Mix in Nutella. I ended up adding around 4-5 Tablespoons. My brownies were really moist and didn't need a ton of Nutella mixed in. 

Step 4: 

Mix Nutella into crumbled Brownie with your hands until it is well combined.

Step 5: 

Roll into 1" balls. 

Step 6: 

Melt molding chocolate in a double boiler or two pots like I did. Make sure you stir the chocolate periodically. This helps it the chocolate on the bottom from burning and keeps the chocolate smooth.

Step 7: 

Once the chocolate is smooth and creamy, dip each ball in with a spoon and roll it to get an even coating. Place on cookie sheet/plate to cool.

Step 8: 

While the chocolate coating is still hot on each ball, sprinkle coco powder and sea salt on top. I did this one by one after I dipped each ball before the chocolate cooled. That way the coco and salt stay on and dry into the chocolate.

Step 9: 

Refrigerate for at least an hour. Make sure you take them out about at least an hour before you want to eat them, so the chocolate coating softens just a little. 

Step 10: 

Eat, Enjoy and Be Merry! 

Gluten-Free Mini Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes.

I made these delicious cupcakes for a small Oscar Party last weekend. They were so tasty I thought I would share the recipe. I used Ghirardelli chocolate chips, and the chocolate taste is heavenly. I swear they are better than cupcakes made with flour. This is definitely going to be my new go to cupcake recipe.

I found the recipe here. However, I had major problems with the frosting recipe. I ended up using A LOT more powdered sugar than it called for. I also had to make a second batch of the frosting. Here is the way I made them.

Ingredients:

• 24 maraschino cherries
• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (1 cup) I recommend using Ghirardelli 
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 3 large eggs
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder plus more for garnish
• 1 ½ tablespoons maraschino cherry liquid
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup powdered sugar  - I may have even used a little more. 

STEP 1: 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

 STEP 2: 

Cut the cherries in half and dab them dry. 

STEP 3:

Melt chocolate chips and butter in a double boiler if you have one. I used one bigger pot filled with boiling water and had the smaller pan with chocolate and butter resting inside. Stir until it's well mixed and glossy. 

STEP 4: 

While you let the chocolate/butter mixture cool a little, line the pan with 24 mini cupcake cups. 

STEP 5: 

Whisk together chocolate/butter mixture, eggs, sugar, salt, cocoa powder and cherry liquid. 

STEP 6:

Spoon the batter half way into each cup, place a cherry half in each cup and spoon more batter on top of it. Almost fill the cups.

STEP 7:

Bake for 20 minutes. Stick a toothpick in - when the toothpick comes out clean, they are done.

STEP 8:

Beat heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla. If frosting is still watery add more powered sugar until it is your desired thickness. I also ended up whipping out my hand held beater to get it as thick as I could.

STEP 9: 

After cupcakes have cooled, top with whipped cream frosting using a frosting bag. Sprinkle with cocoa powder and top with a cherry. Since I made mine for an Oscar Party, I added some edible gold stars to make them a little more festive.

STEP 10:

Enjoy!

Winter Spice Cookies.

I wanted to make some festive holiday-ish cookies, but I wanted ginger and Daniel wanted molasses so I decided we could have both. And thus the the Winter Spice Cookie was born!

And they are yummy!  They pair great with coffee, tea, cider or whiskey! Just to name a few...

 INGREDIENTS:

• 3 CUPS All-Purpose Flour
• 1 TEASPOON Baking Soda
• 2 TEASPOONS Ground Ginger
• 1 & 1/4 TEASPOON Ground Cinnamon
• 1/4 TEASPOON Ground Cloves
• 1/4 TEASPOON Ground Nutmeg
• 1/4 TEASPOON Salt
• 3/4 CUP Butter - room temperature 
• 3/4 CUP Brown Sugar
• 1/3 CUP Molasses
• 1 Egg
• 2 TEASPOONS Vanilla Extract
• 1/3 CUP Sugar (for rolling)

STEP 1:

In a large bowl mix the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt.

Set aside for later.

STEP 2:

In a separate bowl/mixer (I used my Kitchen Aid) cream the butter for about a minute.

Add the brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy.

Add molasses, egg and vanilla extract.

Mix well.

Be sure to scrape down the sides if needed.

STEP 3:

Slowly mix in the dry ingredients, little by little.

Do not over mix.

STEP 4:

Cover dough with foil and refrigerate for 2 hours.

STEP 5:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

STEP 6:

Roll dough into 1 inch balls.

STEP 7:

Roll balls in sugar until they are nicely coated.

STEP 8:

Place balls 2 inches apart on baking sheet.

STEP 9:

Bake for 8-10 minutes

DO NOT OVER-BAKE!!!

They will be puffy and soft.

STEP 10:

Let them cool for 1-2 minutes on cookie sheet before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

STEP 11:

Enjoy!

All Hallow's Eve.

Happy Halloween to all! I have lots to share on this bewitching holiday. First, I had to post 

"Spirits of the Dead" by Edgar Allan Poe, it's just short and so perfect for today where the veil between the living and the dead is supposedly lifted and the dead return to walk the Earth. Second if you are making any cocktails or drinks today be sure to add a drop or two of black food coloring(see above image). You can also make black ice cubes(the bigger the better) which as they melt make a smoky effect that will eventually turn the whole drink black. Lastly I have some recipes to share at the bottom. 

Spirits of the Dead

by

Edgar Allan Poe

(published 1829)

Thy soul shall find itself alone
'Mid dark thoughts of the grey tomb-stone --
Not one, of all the crowd, to pry
Into thine hour of secrecy:
Be silent in that solitude
    Which is not loneliness -- for then
The spirits of the dead who stood
    In life before thee are again
In death around thee -- and their will
Shall then overshadow thee: be still.

For the night -- tho' clear -- shall frown --
And the stars shall look not down,
From their high thrones in the Heaven,
With light like Hope to mortals given --
But their red orbs, without beam,
To thy weariness shall seem
As a burning and a fever
Which would cling to thee for ever :

Now are thoughts thou shalt not banish --
Now are visions ne'er to vanish --
From thy spirit shall they pass
No more -- like dew-drop from the grass:

The breeze -- the breath of God -- is still --
And the mist upon the hill
Shadowy -- shadowy -- yet unbroken,
Is a symbol and a token --
How it hangs upon the trees,
A mystery of mysteries! --

Shrunken Heads in Cider

This is a great recipe I found on Martha Stewart for turning apples into creepy heads. It has become a Halloween tradition in our house. As for the actual cider, this year I went rogue. 

My cider recipe is 

2 bottles Martinelli's, 

16 oz Jack Daniel and then sprinkle in 

4 good shakes of cinnamon, 

add a dash of ginger, 

a half dash nutmeg and 

a pinch of clove. 

Add in the heads(apples) and you're all set. 

Pour it over black ice for an extra creepy effect. 

But it's also amazing hot as well. In fact last night we got into a debate over whether it's better hot or cold. We remain a house divided.

Graveyard Brownies

For these spooky treats I followed another Martha Stewart recipe for Rocky Road brownie bites with a few alterations. I made them in regular size cupcake tins, instead of mini size so I could put Milano cookies in like tombstones. Only let them cool for like five minutes so they are still soft when you put the cookies in. I didn't add any nuts, just mini chocolate chips and marshmallows. I should have written out stuff on the tombstones but I ran out of time. 

Happy Halloween!!!!

Cookie Monster Pie.

I love baking. It makes me feel like a mad scientist and then I get to eat something delicious afterward. My favorite is chocolate chip cookies. It was my friend Kenzie's birthday recently and I wanted to make them for her but she has a gluten allergy. My mom had turned me on to Chocolate-Covered Katie, a blog focused on making sweet things as healthily as possible. It was there I stumbled onto the recipe for Deep Dish Cookie Pie. It's one monster, gluten-free, chocolate chip cookie of heaven. You can click on the link and follow how Katie did it or follow my tweaks here:

• 2 cans white beans or garbanzos (drained and rinsed)- I used garbanzo beans
• 1 cup quick oats (or certified-gf quick oats)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 3 tbsp oil (canola, veg, or coconut) - I used veg oil
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt - I added a little extra pinch
• 1 and 1/2 cups brown sugar - I added an extra 1/2 cup - 2 cups total
• 1 cup chocolate chips - I added an extra handful
• I added two dashes of cinnamon

Rinse and drain the beans.

The recipe recommends using a food processor to mix everything together, but I don't have one, so I mixed everything together except the chocolate chips and beans using a beater, you could also do this with a fork or whisk.

I used my potato masher to turn the beans into paste, that way they would mix with the other ingredients easier.

Then I alternated using my beater and a hand blender to mix in the bean paste. And then used the beater to mix in the chocolate chips. I suggest you taste the dough at this time and make any alterations to the flavor.

Pour dough into an oiled pan, I used a 9" one.

Bake it for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees. 

Eat and be merry! It feels heavy from the beans and oats and you feel like you are eating a massive cookie but at only a fraction of the calories...and it's vegan!

Enjoy!

Goodness, Gracious, Cake Balls of Desire!

For some reason lately I have been obsessed with cake balls. I had never eaten one, but I decided I must bake some. I followed this recipe.

The first step is baking a cake using a box of cake mix. I decided to use the Funfetti cake. Once it's all bakes you crumble it up into a fine mixture and add frosting. I used Vanilla.

 Then you form them into little balls.

 Then dip them in melted candy coating. I also added some colorful rainbow sprinkles.

 Voila!

 Enjoy!