Tag: food

Small Batch Double Chocolate Muffins (Lower Calorie Version)

This is a lower calorie version of this original recipe. See notes below.

INGREDIENTS

  • 140 grams all purpose flour (or 140 grams of Kodiak Cakes Buttermilk protein pancake mix)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 40 g of sifted cocoa powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup sugar substitute (I use Splenda)
  • 1 cup unsweetened applesauce (I do not like Mott’s as it is too green apple-ish. Aldi has a great option!)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup almond milk (or other milk alternative)
  • 95 g chocolate chips, divided (I used 75g of chocolate chips and 20g of chocolate chunks)
  • 1/2 tbsp turbinado sugar, optional

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Place 6 liners in muffin tin, alternating cups to leave a cup between each muffin if possible.
  • In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda.
  • Add salt, sugar substitute, unsweetened applesauce, vanilla, and almond milk (or other milk alternative) to dry ingredients and stir until combined. Try not to overmix.
  • Stir in 75g of chocolate chips.
  • Fill 6 lined muffin tins with mixture, overfilling to achieve a bakery-style muffin.
  • Dot top with remaining 20g of chocolate chips (I love using semi-sweet chocolate chunks on top).
  • Sprinkle turbinado sugar over muffins before placing in pre-heated oven. This is optional, but we enjoy the crunchy texture on top.
  • Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes until set.

NOTES

Depending on your texture preferences, you may enjoy these even more than the original recipe!

At only 213 calories per muffin, these definitely hit the spot when watching the blasted scale. If you want to save a few more calories, using Kodiak Cake mix instead of AP flour slightly lowers the calories to about 201 calories per muffin. It also provides some extra protein and gives the muffins a little more lift, so you feel like you are getting a much larger muffin. My kids prefer the Kodiak Cake version the most.

Calorie breakdown:

IngredientsCalories
140g AP flour510
1 tsp baking powder5
1/4 tsp baking soda0
40g sifted cocoa powder92
pinch of salt0
1/2 cup splenda3
1 cup unsweetened applesauce100
1 tsp vanilla extract0
1/2 cup almond milk21
75g chocolate chips410
20g chococolate chunks109
1/2 tbsp turbinado sugar30
Total:1280
Per muffin:213.3333333

Enjoy, kiddos! I love you so very much. Thank you for all the support you’ve been giving me lately as I strive towards better health. The greatest gift I’ve been given is watching you all grow into the beautiful adults that you are, and I want to make sure that I’m around for many years to come. You have so much living and growing ahead of you, and I can’t wait for all the memories we have yet to make together! I am so very proud of each and every one of you.

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Apple Jelly Cake

INGREDIENTS

  • Any moist and delicious yellow cake baked into 2 rounds
  • 1 large jar of apple jelly (18 oz)
  • 2/3 cup sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Once your yellow cake is prepared and cooled enough to handle (but still warm), prepare your “icing” by combining one large jar of apple jelly (18 ounces) with 2/3 cup sugar. Mix until combined.
  • Poke holes in the tops of both layers of cake.
  • Place one layer of the cake onto your serving plate. Slather top with jelly icing, making sure to get into the holes of the cake before frosting sides.
  • Place the top layer of the cake on previous layer and slather the top with jelly icing as well, making sure to get into the holes of the cake before frosting sides. There should be enough jelly mixture to be really generous but reserve enough of the jelly icing for a second coat.
  • Allow cake to completely cool and add the remaining jelly onto the top of the cake, focusing on filling the holes as much as possible.
  • Enjoy!

NOTES

This is an old-fashioned cake that a co-worker used to talk about with fondness. I made it one day, and it become one of our favorites. Zach has requested this cake often for his birthdays instead of a traditional cake with buttercream icing. We have also tried this same method with different cakes and jellies, namely a white cake with blackberry. It was also delicious!

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Pecan Pie Bars

Original recipe: Pecan Pie Bars Recipe – Preppy Kitchen

INGREDIENTS

Crust:

  • 2½ cups all-purpose flour (300g)
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar (150g)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 12 tablespoons of butter (170 g), browned

Filling

  • 4 large eggs
  • 1½ cups dark or light corn syrup (360mL)
  • ⅔ cup packed brown sugar (140g)
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ⅓ cup all-purpose flour (40g)
  • 2 cups pecans roughly chopped (240g)

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray then line it with parchment paper or foil.
  • Brown the butter for your crust.
  • In a large bowl, whisk to combine the flour, sugar and salt. Drizzle in the browned butter and stir together with a fork. Use clean hands to mix and knead the dough together (it will be crumbly) then place it in the prepared baking dish. Press it into a thin, even layer.
  • Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the edges turn lightly golden.
  • While the shortbread crust bakes, in a large bowl, whisk to combine the eggs, corn syrup, brown sugar, vanilla and salt until smooth. Sift in the ⅓ cup flour and whisk to combine. Add the chopped pecans and mix once more.
  • When the crust comes out of the oven, pour the pecan pie topping over it and smooth out any piles of pecans. Return it to the oven for about 30 minutes or until the topping is puffed and dry.
  • Allow to cool completely and then chill slightly before cutting, in order to get nice clean pieces.

NOTES

This is it. The best of the best. Move over pecan pie, this is the one thing that my kids have decided they must have every Thanksgiving and Christmas. The rich shortbread crust and the luscious filling are absolutely to die for!

Please check out the original recipe linked above. For a step-by-step walk through, check out the embedded video below.

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Zach’s Favorite Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 3/4 cups (248g) all-purpose flour, scoop and level to measure
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 12 Tbsp (170g) unsalted butter, melted, divided
  • 3/4 cup (150g) packed light brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup (70g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (170g) semi-sweet chocolate chips (or mix-ins of your choice – see notes)
  • Maldon sea salt flakes to sprinkle on top, if desired

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Place butter into cast iron skillet and put into oven as it preheats. Once melted, leave about 1 tbsp of butter in pan and put the remaining melted butter into a large mixing bowl. Allow the melted butter to cool down a little bit before slightly adding additional ingredients.
  • Once cooled, add the following to the bowl with the melted butter: brown sugar, granulated sugar, and salt.
  • Add egg, egg yolk and vanilla and stir until combined.
  • Sift in flour and baking soda, then stir until combined.
  • Mix in chocolate chips.
  • Scoop dough out into prepared skillet and spread into an even layer.
  • Sprinkle with Maldon flaked sea salt, if desired.
  • Bake in preheated oven until cook appears slightly under-baked in center, it will continue to cook from the residual heat of the pan for a few minutes once removed from the oven, about 18 to 20 minutes.
  • Spoon out and serve warm with vanilla ice cream if desired or let cool at least 30 minutes to cut into slices.

NOTES

The above recipe is a template. Feel free to add in any number of mix-ins. One of our favorites is the addition of marshmallows (that have been halved and pressed into dough), white chocolate chips, and graham cracker pieces. I like to press in additional chocolate chips on top for decoration purposes. Not to mention topping with flaked sea salt!

Enjoy!

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Sopapillas

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons shortening
  • 3/4 cup warm water
  • 1 to 2 cups canola oil for frying

INSTRUCTIONS

  • In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gradually stir in water just until dough pulls together.
  • Divide dough into 5 pieces. Roll out each piece of dough on lightly floured board into an 8-inch diameter circle. Cut each circle into 4 wedges.
  • Heat oil in a deep frying pan. Add a few of the tortilla wedges at a time. The wedges will puff up. Turn once so they will puff evenly on both sides; then turn back to brown on both sides.
  • Drain on paper towels. While warm, coat each sopaipilla with powdered sugar or cinnamon-sugar, if desired. Serve with honey.

NOTES

On a road trip to the Grand Canyon, we once stopped at a restaurant in Albuquerque called El Patio de Albuquerque in order to try something local. One Google review said that it was a must to try to adovada as a stuffed sopapilla, and I’m so glad that I did.

When someone asks me what my favorite meal is, I often immediately think of that moment in time. A lot of what makes that meal special is the sentimental circumstances of that moment (sitting on that patio, eating an amazing meal with my brother, my oldest son who was moving soon to another state, and Juno, my new puppy, while enjoying a moment of rest and relaxation during a road trip West to see the Grand Canyon and Sedona via a new camper), but the meal itself was outstanding, especially the warm sopapilla and honey that was served to the table to compliment the meal. One of many, I will be chasing the warmth of that memory for as long as I breathe.

Since then, I found a few recipes for homemade sopapillas, and they hit the spot now and then even though they are never quite as soft and pillowy as those at El Patio de Albuquerque! I hope you enjoy them as well.

The above recipe is from Muy Bueno: Basic Sopaipilla Recipe (New Mexican Sopapillas) – Muy Bueno. Check out their video to get a sneak peek of these beauties:

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Grandma Marilyn’s Caramel Corn

INGREDIENTS

  • 8 quarts of popped popcorn (2/3 cups of unpopped popcorn, prepared OR 3 bags of popped microwave popcorn)
  • 1 cup butter
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup light Karo corn syrup
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp vanilla (my addition)

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Place popped popcorn in large roasting pan (or aluminum pan)
  • Combine the butter, sugar, Kara, and salt into a medium saucepan. It needs to be enough for the caramel to expand once additional ingredients are added. On medium-high heat, bring ingredients to a boil, and once bubbly, boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
  • Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda. This will expand and become foamy.
  • Add in vanilla, if desired.
  • Pour ingredients over the popcorn and stir to evenly coat. It is okay if it does not cover all the popcorn at this time.
  • Put in a 200 degree oven for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes. The caramel will loosen and cover more popcorn with each stir.
  • While waiting, line counter with parchment paper.
  • Once your hour in the oven is complete, pour cooked caramel corn onto parchment paper and allow to cool.

NOTES

This is your grandmother’s version (see below from the compilation cookbook that was put together after your grandmother’s passing), and it is very similar to the Amish Caramel Corn recipe I always made when you were growing up. I have added a note to add vanilla to make this closer to that recipe. Enjoy!

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Audrey’s Favorite Cake Pops

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 freshly baked cake from this recipe (Preppy Kitchen’s Hot Milk Cake) or any box cake mix, if desired
  • 1 package almond bark
  • toppings (sprinkles, etc.)

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Bake this recipe (Preppy Kitchen’s Hot Milk Cake) as instructed. Do not add powdered sugar topping.
  • While still hot, put the insides of the cake into the stand mixer, leaving the very edges that are crispy and brown in pan to snack on later. The tasty edges are the best part anyway!
  • Mix the cake at a low speed until the desired texture is reached.
  • Using a small cookie scoop, form dough into balls and place on a lined baking sheet.
  • Once all dough balls are formed, allow to cool completely.
  • Place cooled cake balls into the fridge while melting your almond bark and gathering toppings.
  • If you have a plastic fork available, remove all but the center tine. This will be used to spear each cake ball for dipping.
  • In a ceramic mug, melt a few almond bark squares at a time in the microwave. Start off with 30 seconds before stirring, and follow up every 10 seconds of microwave time between stirs until the almond bark is melted.
  • Using the single tine on your plastic fork, spear your cold cake ball and dip into melted almond bark to completely cover. Allow excess to drip back into the cup and then place covered cake ball onto prepared baking sheet.
  • Dip the tine back into the almond bark and place a small amount to cover the hole left behind by the fork’s tine. Swirl remaining almond bark on tine to decorate as desired.
  • Immediately use your sprinkles or other toppings to decorate your cake ball as the almond bark will harden quickly.
  • Continue to repeat process until all cake balls are covered.
  • Place covered cake balls into fridge to completely set.
  • Enjoy!

NOTES

I do not use a popsicle stick as with traditional cake pops. We just pop them in our mouths! Just a reminder to make sure that you allow excess almond bark to drip off of cake pops while coating to ensure that the coating is thin or it will be a struggle to eat them. Feel free to use a box cake, if desired. Do note that you may have to use a few spoons full of a complimentary cake icing into batter when using some boxed mixes as they tend to be drier than the homemade cake recommended above. Either way, they will be delicious, I’m sure!

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Hot Milk Cake

Original recipe: Hot Milk Cake – Preppy Kitchen

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup whole milk (240mL)
  • ½ cup unsalted butter (113g)
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (240g)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups granulated sugar (400g)
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • Powdered sugar for dusting

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with baking spray.
  • Heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan, stirring occasionally, just until bubbling and butter is melted, about 5 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the granulated sugar and eggs on medium-high until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the flour mixture and beat on low until just incorporated. With the mixer running on low, gradually pour in the hot milk mixture. Stir in vanilla extract. Pour batter into the prepared baking pan.
  • Bake for 28 to 32 minutes or until lightly browned, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Dust the cake with powdered sugar before slicing and serving.

NOTES

Please go to the linked original recipe or watch the embedded video below for detailed instructions regarding this amazing cake. I am copy/pasting for posterity’s sake, but the step-by-step instructions are recipe specific details provided in the original recipe are so important to understanding the magic of this recipe.

According to Zach, this is his favorite cake. It is also the cake that I use to make my cake pops. It is a great way to use up milk that is going to expire soon. There’s something so perfect about the crumb and the outer edges of this cake … and so simple with its coating of powdered sugar instead of icing. I will never tire of it!

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Ritz Peanut Butter Crack Sammies

INGREDIENTS

  • Ritz crackers
  • Almond bark (at least 3 squares)
  • Peanut butter (or spread of your choice such as almond butter, cookie butter, Nutella, melted Rollo, etc.)
  • Toppings of your choice (see notes)

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Decide how many treats you wish to make and make sure you have 2 Ritz crackers for each.
  • Spread peanut butter on half the crackers.
  • Prepare any toppings you may have for easy access is the next steps will have to take place quickly to ensure that the toppings are able to be placed on almond bark coating before it hardens.
  • Melt almond bark and spoon a small circle of warm, liquid almond bark on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
  • Immediately place the cracker with peanut butter directly on top of the almond bark so that it will form a coating on the cracker for a bottom.
  • Quickly do this for every bottom half of your treats.
  • Once all the peanut butter topped halves have been placed atop their corresponding almond bark circle, place the remaining cracker half on top of the peanut butter to form your cracker sandwich.
  • Using a fork or other utensil, drizzle remaining almond bark on the top of your cracker sandwiches.
  • Immediately top with any toppings you may prefer. For me, that is some honey roasted almonds that I pulse in a blender or food processor, a few sprinkles, and a chocolate chunk or chopped candy bar that I may have on hand.
  • Place in refrigerator to set and then enjoy!

NOTES

This is not so much a recipe than a treat that is made whenever I’m trying to use up leftover almond bark, usually after making Audrey’s Oreo Truffles. The ingredients are never the same … just a mixture of delicious things I have on hand at the time. However, the ingredients pictured (crushed honey roasted almonds, a few sprinkles, and a chopped mini Hershey bar) is one of my favorite combinations! They are addictive and honestly worthy of making on their own, especially for Halloween. See below for how to decorate them for a spooky mummy treat!

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Audrey’s Favorite Oreo Truffles

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 package of mint Oreos
  • 4 ounces of cream cheese (1/2 block)
  • 1 package of white almond bark
  • Sprinkles or additional crushed oreos
  • Plastic fork

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Add 1 package of mint Oreos to a stand mixer.
  • Starting off slowly, crush Oreos until it forms a paste. Some pieces will still be larger and crunchy.
  • Add in 4 ounces of cream cheese and mix until combined. If needed, add additional cream cheese from remaining block until it reaches desired consistency. I like to use as little as possible to ensure that the tartness of the cream cheese does not overpower the mint Oreo flavor.
  • Using a small cookie scoop, form balls and place onto lined cookie sheet.
  • Please dough balls into freezer for about 15 minutes while you prepare almond bark.
  • In a ceramic mug, place a few cubes of the almond bark to melt in microwave.
  • Microwave for 30 seconds and then stir, if needed. Continue to microwave in 10 second increments until bark is fully melted.
  • Take your plastic fork and remove all the tines except the middle one.
  • Once dough is chilled and bark is melted, begin coating your Oreo balls by spearing each ball with the single tine of your plastic fork. Lower the cold dough ball into the melted bark.
  • Once coated, place the truffle onto your prepared lined baking sheet. Use a small bit of bark on to cover the hole left behind by the fork tine and swirl to decorate, if desired. The coating should immediately begin to harden so any sprinkles or toppings should be added at this time.
  • Repeat process until all truffles are coated.

NOTES

Get creative! Feel free to use any flavor of Oreos and know that your decorative topping choices are unlimited! I have always wanted to use the Golden Oreos and top with pink almond bark & crushed freeze-dried strawberries for a Spring version, for example. Enjoy!

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