TWD: Mochaccino Muffins

I like making muffins. They are simple to put together and you don’t have to frost them. They usually aren’t as sweet as cupcakes. They make the perfect snack. And these chocolate coffee muffins are no exception.

The batter includes a shot of ground coffee, some coffee extract, some cocoa, and some chocolate chips. I really expected these to have a strong chocolate taste. But they didn’t. And to me that’s a good thing because I really don’t like coffee. I actually found these to be a little bland. But I still liked them.

The recipe is from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking with Dorie: sweet, salty, and simple. (page 68)

For more muffins visit Tuesdays with Dorie.

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WWDH: Macaroons

B needed something sweet this week. These were easy, quick, and nice and sweet. Just what The Man ordered.

chocolate macaroon sandwiches.

Not to be confused with Macarons which are NOT easy and quick but are nice and sweet.

A nicely browned cookie made of egg whites, sugar and coconut. Filled with a simple chocolate ganache.

You can find the macaroon recipe here. Just don’t use the ice cream. The whole recipe is from Donna’s flavours. (page 112)

What did Kayte and Gaye make for Wednesdays with Donna Hay? Check out their posts.

 

TWD: Bundt is Better.

As is true with TWD now we have two choices during the month from Baking with Dorie and the choice of what date we make and post which. I didn’t quite make it for the first posting in March but was determined to make the second posting. After all, what is better than a bundt cake. And not just any bundt cake but Dorie’s Swirled, Spiced Source Cream Bundt Cake.

Dorie said she tweaked her original sour cream bundt and added whole wheat flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. She also added more allspice. What she did was make her cake even BETTAH!

I didn’t swirl the cake as much as I should and I didn’t have quite enough nuts but it was still tasty. Nuts and chocolate! How can you go wrong with that?

Eventually I will make the the Glenorchy Flapjacks. They sound delicious.

This cake is on page 105 of Dorie’s Baking with Dorie: Sweet, Salty and Simple

For more cakes – Tuesdays with Dorie.

 

{TWD/DC} Chocolate Haystacks

Actually, they are supposed to be Chocolate CORNFLAKE Haystacks but we don’t have a lot of cereal in the pantry so I used CORN CHEX instead.  Dorie said we could change the recipe around because it is a “DIYer’s dream”.  Thank you, Dorie.  I changed a lot.  Not because I wanted to but because I didn’t get to the store this week.  WEATHER!!!

So let me show you my Chocolate Corn Chex Haystacks instead

 

I have been making Haystacks for years – the stove top kind – and usually with chocolate and peanut butter {Imagine these with chopped peanuts and PB chips!}.  They are some of The Man’s fave cookies.  He was happy when he saw these.

I did make a FEW subs.  I used Semi-Sweet chocolate instead of Milk Chocolate.  Dried Cranberries instead of Raisins {EWWWW!!}.  Chopped Almonds instead of Pecans.  Dorie said we could…..

GOOD STUFF!!

The recipe is from Dorie’s Cookies on page 174.

For more cookies -> Dorie’s Haystacks!  This week’s cookie for Tuesdays with Dorie

 

{TWD/DC} Nuts and Chocolate

On page 42 of Dorie’s Cookies you will find a recipe of a cookie so luscious that it will make your head spin.  Three words – chocolate, caramel, nuts.  NUFF said!!

OK!  Maybe you need more to entice you.  A chocolate shortbread covered in chocolate caramel and covered with nuts.  How can one possibly go wrong with THAT!!!

I don’t think you can!

I only made one change, and not intentionally.  I picked up the bowl of nuts and tossed them into the caramel before I realized I had picked up the wrong bowl.  It should have been the chocolate.  So everything is mixed together.

**SIGH**

But in the end it all turned out alright.  They were just as delicious, or so says The Man.{I’m still on Whole 30, so…..}

More cookies on Tuesdays with Dorie – Dorie’s Cookies.

We don’t publish the cookie recipes.  Go buy Dorie’s Cookies.  You won’t be sorry.

 

 

{CC#14} Chocolate Snacking Cake

When I think of eating ‘healthy’ I really don’t consider cake.  Especially chocolate cake but I ran across this recipe in my February Cookbook eating to beat high blood pressure.  Truth be told this is NOT a weight loss book but a path to health.

So these little bites of chocolate delight are only 70 calories, and 1 gm fat (1 1/2″ x 1 1/2″ piece) each.  I cut mine a little bigger but still not bad.  I sprinkled them with a little cocoa and powered sugar but they were plenty sweet without it.

1 1/3 cups sifted self-rising flour
1 cup + 2 Tbl unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup nonfat buttermilk
1 Tbl instant espresso powder
1 cup sugar {I subbed in 1/2 cup Splenda and added 18 tsp Stevia}
1/2 up packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
2 large egg whites
1 Tbl powdered sugar

325 degree oven

Line an 8″ pan  with foil leaving an overhang.

Sift together the flour and cocoa.  Add the espresso powder into warmed buttermilk and allow to dissolve.

Mix the sugars together with the applesauce, buttermilk/espresso, and vanilla.  Add the liquids into the flour/cocoa mix and combine just until blended.

Beat the egg whites until stiff and then fold into the batter and add in the chocolate chips.  {I found the batter to be VERY stiff so I added just a tad of water before I folded in the whites.}  

Scrape the batter into the pan and bake for about 35 minutes or until set.  Don’t over bake!  Remove from pan and cool for about 15 minutes on a rack.

SOOOO good! Definitely a keeper.

The recipe is on page 263.

 

I’m linking this post with Cookbook Countdown 14 hosted by Kitchen Flavours and Emily’s Cooking (Makan2)

 

{ABC} The Browniest Cookies

I could eat brownies daily.  Good. Fudgy. Brownies.  The Man loves cookies.  Daily.  Any kind.  When I can combine the two it’s a good day.  Like today.  The Avid Baker’s Challenge made Deb’s brownies/cookies/ brownie cookies.  Whatever you call them are GOOD!!  Lots of chocolate flavor – not hard to understand since they have cocoa, chocolate chips and unsweetened chocolate in them.

The Browniest Cookies

Little bites of intense!  The perfect way to end a meal  Not sweet but not bitter.  Just right!

I did make a couple of small changes.  I subbed Splenda for the 2 Tbl of sugar {the cookies also have 1 cup packed brown sugar.}  And I subbed in 1/2 cup WWF for 1/2 cup of the AP flour.  It didn’t make any difference in the taste or texture but it made me feel better about the sugar and increased ‘healthiness’ of the cookie.  LOL

These cookies are for February’s Avid Bakers Challenge.  I haven’t baked with them in quite a while but decided to join back in since all the baking won’t be JUST sweet stuff this year.  We are baking from Deb Perelman’s Smitten Kitchen for 2017.  She is one of my favorite reads and recipe sources.   

 

 

{TWD/DC} Peace Out!

What is it about Dorie Greenspan that makes one keep coming back to her recipes? Oh, yeah!  THEY ARE WONDERFUL!  Whether it’s baking or cooking or just put together, one can never go wrong with Dorie.  I guess that’s why my mantra used to be “Trust Dorie! Trust Dorie!”  And that’s why my mantra will be again – Trust Dorie!

Two of my friends have convinced me that I really need to make Cookies with Dorie’s Cookies for Tuesdays with Dorie and since I am easily persuaded to do good things – I succumbed.  Thanks to Kayte and Pam – I’m back with Tuesdays with Dorie.  Sure missed y’all!

World Peace Cookies was a good cookie to come back to.  Especially considering what is going on in the world today.

Actually, TWD had made these before.  February 3, 2009.  (Hopefully THIS picture is better than that one!) with the original TWD using Dorie’s  Baking From My Home To Yours. They are just as good today as they were then.  Maybe better.  And definitely a perfect addition to Dorie’s Cookie Book.

Chocolate-y.  Crunchy.  A little salty {This time I had the fleur de sel.} Perfect!

We don’t print the recipes like we did with BFMHTY.  You really need to buy the book and enjoy all the lovely recipes up close and personal.  And the beautiful photography of all the lovely cookies.  Well worthy every penny – trust me.

You can find more World Peace Cookies -> Dorie’s Cookies.

 

{IHCC} Potluck with Curtis Stone

I haven’t been here in a while.  Between Thanksgiving, Christmas, Bronchitis and Sinusitus it has not been an easy month.  But I couldn’t let the 2016 end without at least doing the December Potluck for I Heart Cooking Clubs

How about Torte?  Chocolate Torte?  With no Flour?  And Pecans?

Yep!  That’s the one.

Flourless Chocolate and Pecan Torte

Torte:

3/4 cup/175 g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
plain (all-purpose) flour, for dusting
1 cup/175 g caster (superfine) sugar
6 eggs, separated
6 oz/175 g plain dark (semisweet) chocolate, melted
generous 1 cup/l75 g pecans, finely chopped or coarsely processed
½ tsp ground cinnamon {I always use a little more}

For the cream:

2 tbsp rum
2-3 tbsp muscovado (brown) sugar
generous ½ cup/100 ml Crème Fraîche
1¼ cups/275 ml double (heavy) cream

Preheat oven to 350°F/1S0°C. Grease and flour a 6 inch/16 cm cake tin (pan).

Cream the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time, then mix in the melted chocolate, pecans, and cinnamon.
Whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl until they form stiff peaks. Stir one-third of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to loosen the texture, then, using a large metal spoon, fold in the remaining egg whites. Transfer the mixture to the prepared cake tin.
Level the top with the back of a spoon and bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes. Leave to cool for at least 20 minutes, or until just slightly warm.

Meanwhile, warm the rum and sugar in a small saucepan and stir until dissolved.
Remove from the heat and leave to cool before mixing in the creme fraiche. Semi-whip the double (heavy) cream so it is still quite slack in a large bowl and fold through the Crème Fraîche mixture until fully blended.Cut the torte into 8 equal-sized pieces and serve warm with the cream.

Yes, it WAS quite good.  Especially with the Rum Cream Mixture on top.  Even tho’ I couldn’t coax it out of the pan as well as I might have liked …as long as it tastes good…

I made 1/2 of the recipe in three mini cake pans. They only needed about 20 minutes or so to bake.   Just right for the two of us. If you need an easy and quick chocolate fix for dessert.  This is the one!

The recipe is from Curtis’ Cooking with Curtis. {pg 155)

There is more POTLUCK  -> I Heart Cooking Clubs.

 

{EwE} Gotta Have…Chocolate!

We haven’t had CHOCOLATE as a theme all year for Eating with Ellie so I figured it was time.  My theme pick this week.

But after so. many. sweet. treats. this past month I thought maybe I should have waited a week or so before we used this theme.  Alas, not to be…

So I chose something simple to fulfill the Chocolate Theme –

Grandma’s Chocolate Pudding.

This pudding had only 1/3 cup of sugar for four servings.  Unsweetened cocoa powder and a mere 1 ounce of dark chocolate gave a nice rich chocolate flavor.  We didn’t feel guilty about eating these at all. Super simple to put together I know I will make this often for our dessert.  Silky smooth and definitely sweet enough.  No guilt and lots of flavor.

The recipe is on page 274 of Ellie’s Comfort Food Fix.

NEED more chocolate? – Visit  Gotta have Chocolate!.