Here is a dessert special I did the other day for work just using leftovers we had around. It is basically a miniature trifle in a mason jar. On the bottom I put some small pieces of coconut cake. I topped that with a fresh local strawberry compote, followed by chocolate cheesecake cream, then a lemon cookie crumble and a fresh strawberry. This made for layers of contrasting flavors and textures.
Chocolate Cheesecake Cream
Beat some cream cheese until smooth. Beat in some cocoa powder and sugar. Then gradually pour in some cream and keep whipping until the mixture is stiff.
I don't have amounts for this recipe - but I would say it's about equal amounts cream cheese and whipping cream. Then add enough cocoa powder and sugar to flavor.
Maple Cookie Mix
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips of choice (white chocolate are really good in the bars from yesterday's post)
Mix all ingredients together. Enjoy as raw cookie dough (no raw egg), bake into cookies, or use as a topping for brownies.
Nutty Lacy Tuile Cookies
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup golden corn syrup
1 cup ground hazelnuts or almonds, or nut of choice (nut flour)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
In a medium saucepan, melt together the butter, sugar, and corn syrup. Stir in nuts and flour.
At this point, the batter may be used right away or stored in the refrigerator for later.
To make tuiles: spoon batter onto silicone-line dbaking sheets. I used about 1/4 teaspoon for each tuile, but you may use more for bigger tuile. Space them far apart, I recommend doing no more than six per baking sheet, as they will harden before you can form them anyway.
Bake at 400°F for 5-10 minutes until the edges are browned and center is golden. They need to set for a minute or two on the cookie sheet after coming out of the oven and will color slightly more, so do not overbake them. They are really easy to overbake, and be sure to use a convection oven so they bake evenly. If they are underbaked, they will fall apart.
To form the tuiles, you can drape the warm cookies, carefully removing them from the cookie sheet with a flat metal spatula, over ladles, a rolling pin, or roll them into a cigar shape, as you desire. I used a two ounce ladle to form cups to hold my sorbet balls from the other day.
Individual Raisin Bran Cookie
5 Tablespoons natural wheat bran
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt
1 Tablespoon blackstrap molasses
2 teaspoons oil
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
milk, as needed
2 Tablespoons raisins (soaked and plumped, if desired)
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until well combined, adding just enough milk to form a dough that sticks together. Form into one large cookie and place on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on HIGH (100% power) for 1-2 minutes until just firm. Let stand for a minute or two before devouring.
If you are looking for the easiest chocolate chip cookie recipe ever, this is it. Actually, it's more like one giant chocolate chip cookie. Cut it into squares and have chocolate chip cookie squares. These are actually better than your typical chocolate chip cookie, despite having only five ingredients and taking only five minutes to put together. These are sort of like a chocolate chip fudge bar, moist, sweet and chocolaty. I would also refer to it as chocolate chip cookie fudge.
Chocolate Chip Fudge Bars
2 cups butter, softened
2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
2 cups semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350◦F. Grease or line a 9x13 inch rectangular pan.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together well until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract. Stir in the flour, then the chocolate chips. Spread evenly in prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes until bars are no longer doughy.
What do you do when you have a sudden craving for cookies, but don't want to wait all the time it takes to mix them up, tray them, and bake them? Especially if you want a crisp cookie, since you will also have to let them cool as they are too soft when still warm. You don't want to make a ton of dishes, you don't have a lot of ingredients, you don't want to mess up the kitchen, and you really only want a few cookies, not an entire batch. Here is an easy method to make cookies in just a few minutes with only a few ingredients and utensils. They may not be exactly like traditional cookies, but they certainly hit the spot and can be any flavor you desire! All you need is crumbs of some sort, and some type of chocolate.
Quick Cookie Balls
1. crumbs, pretty finely ground.
Examples: cookie crumbs, wafer crumbs, graham cracker crumbs, cake crumbs, brownie crumbs
2. chocolate, chips, squares, or some type of bar, any kind
Examples: mint chocolate chips, milk chocolate Easter bunny, bittersweet chocolate baking square, white chocolate discs
Melt the chocolate and combine with the crumbs. Amounts depend on how many cookies you want to make. There is no exact ratio for crumbs to chocolate, because it will vary depending upon the type of crumbs and chocolate you use. You want just enough chocolate mixed into the crumbs to make the mixture pliable - not wet and sticky but not too dry. Start with a little chocolate, as you can always melt more.
Form into cookie balls, as big as you wish. These will hold better after being chilled or frozen briefly to firm up, but they can be eaten right away. (Or don't even bother forming them into balls - a spoon works too). They can also be decorated with some more melted chocolate on top.
One more Valentine's-themed post for this year. Here are some nicely decorated heart shaped sugar cookies for valentines day. They are both plain sugar cookie with pink sprinkles. One of them has a vanilla drizzle and the other has crushed pistachios.
Every Valentine's Day I like to make one main, fancy, and very chocolaty dessert. I also like to make some side treats for snacks, such as cookies or truffles. And if I can, I like to make a savory item or two with a Valentine's theme - such as heart shaped biscuits or pizzas. Here are some titles of Valentine's foods I have made from previous years. The posts can be searched in my search bar.
DESSERTS:
Brownie Dessert
Strawberry Truffle Tart
Valentine's Day Parfaits
Chocolate Fruit Nutella Cups
Berried Treasure Bar Cookies
Heart-Shaped Cake
Lovely Cheesecake
TREATS:
Heart Truffles
Valentine Truffles
Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
Chocolate Cake Cookies
Box of Chocolates
Kiss Cookies
SAVORY:
Tomato Heart Appetizers
Bruschetta
Valentine Biscuits
Heart Pizzas
Pizelle are Italian waffle cookies. They are made with a special type of waffle iron called a pizzelle maker. Pizzelle makers differ from waffle irons simply by pattern, as pizzelle cookies usually have a pretty pattern and indentation pressed into them. The second major difference is pizzelle makers are much thinner than waffle irons, because pizzelle cookies are much thinner than waffles. The taste is also slightly different, because pizzelle are always thin and crispy and waffles can either be crispy or thick and fluffy.
Pizzelle are made with a simple batter - more like a waffle batter than a cookie batter, but slightly thinner. They usually get their rich flavor from the butter, sugar, eggs, and splash of vanilla, though they can be flavored differently, such as a small addition of unsweetened cocoa powder for chocolate pizzelle.
Some pizzelle makers are automatic, which means it'll let you know when they are cooked. Others, like the one I have, are not automatic, leaving a little more guesswork. I actually had a little trouble with my cookies this time - even though I oiled the maker, they were sticking a bit, or I was checking them to early before they were cooked, or they were a little over cooked. Also a major problem was they kept breaking when I tried to remove them. They still taste delicious, but they do not present as well. Actually I love the little pieces. Pizzelle are very delicate, so if they are not transported properly, they will break as well. One more tricky thing about pizzelle is finding the perfect amount of batter to put in the pizzelle maker to make one cookie. Too little, and you won't get a full cookie, too much and the batter will ooze out of the maker.
I learned how to make pizzelle from my grandmother, who always had them around when I cam to visit, so I grew up enjoying them. They are good plain, or with a little dusting of icing sugar, but they also make nice garnishes for ice cream, cake, and mousses - just like waffle cookies!
You won't believe this. No one does. This bowl of delicious cookies dough is made primarily from a can of beans? No butter, no white flour, and it can be made without refined sugars? What, it's vegan too? Why yes, it is. Believing is tasting. it also helps if you didn't make it and don't actually know what is in it until later (if I choose to tell you that is). This is a healthy cookies alternative - use it as a cookie dough dip, a spread (such as an icing for the brownies from yesterday's post), raw cookies, baked cookies, or by the spoonful. Healthy never tasted this good!
Can of Beans Cookie Dough
1 cup dates
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups chickpeas, rinsed and drained very well, without outer skins
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 Tablespoons coconut oil
1 Tablespoon smooth natural peanut butter
3 Tablespoons oats
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
Soak the dates in the water for at least 8 hours.
Blend the dates (with liquid) and chickpeas until smooth.
Blend in remaining ingredients, except chocolate chips, until very smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips.
I find the flavor improves after being chilled in the fridge for a day or so. The cookie dough will remain a soft consistency, but will be slightly easier to work with if you wanted to use it for truffles of something similar.
Recipe Notes: If you don't mind a peanut butter flavored cookie dough, use 3-4 Tablespoons of peanut butter and omit the coconut oil. A different nut butter may also be used.
If you don't have a huge sweet tooth, the brown sugar can be omitted as the dates provide enough sweetness for a sugar-free version (aside from the chocolate chips). However, if making for the first time, or making for others (who are not accustomed to "healthy food") I recommend using some sugar.
For a sweeter, less healthy version, simply omit the dates and just use 2/3 cup brown sugar.
This recipe uses the divine chocolate brownie recipe from yesterday's post, and the cookie dough recipe that will be featured in tomorrow's post. There is a secret to the cookie dough topping, but I will wait until tomorrow to divulge that. To assemble these brownies, I spread about half the recipe of cookie dough on top (which is why I had extra for the pi pies from a few days ago). Of course this cookie dough was originally intended as a dip, which is why it is a bit softer in consistency than regular cookie doughs. However, instead of devouring it as a dip (or by the spoonful, though I definitely could have) I decided to make it into something new.
These brownies definitely are not overly sweet, they are more for dark chocolate lovers, and those who do not enjoy sickly sweet desserts, or want something a bit healthier. In order to make the brownies a little bit sweeter, more special, and more attractive, I simply melted a little semi-sweet chocolate and gave it a quick drizzle over top. These cookie dough brownies combine two favorite flavors, brownies and chocolate chip cookie dough, as well as three different appearances of chocolate. (Maybe next time I will try a double chocolate chip cookie dough). The cookie dough is a bit of a different recipe, so it contains no raw egg and is perfectly safe to consume raw.
It's pi day. You take some leftover (egg-free) cookie dough from the fridge and search for inspiration. One package of milk chocolate is all that is needed to complete these miniature pies or tartlets. I simply melted some milk chocolate and used a pastry brush to "paint" mini paper muffin cup liners. I chilled them and once hardened, peeled off the paper. Then I used a miniature ice cream scoop to place uniformly-shaped balls of cookie dough into the pie shells. I then used some additional melted milk chocolate to pipe pi symbols on top. Sweet and simple. The cookis dough is something I had leftover in the fridge that I wanted to creatively repurpose. I also wanted to make pies for pi day so I put two and two together and came up with this simple confection. I will feature the cookie dough soon, and explain more about that and what its original purpose was.
This is not exactly another protein bar recipe, but I am sure it could modified into one. However, this is a high-protein, chocolaty and delicious version of a deep dish chocolate chip cookie pie, thanks to the addition of beans and oats. I know right, a healthy deep dish chocolate chip cookie pie? Isn't that an oxymoron? Not in this case; not only is this pie healthy and delicious, it also happens to be vegan and gluten free.
Deceptive Deep Dish Cookie Pie
1 can white beans
1 cup quick oats (gluten free if needed)
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 Tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350◦F. Grease a 9-inch round springform pan.
Blend all ingredients except for the chocolate chips in a food processor until really smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until just set. You may want to cover the top with foil if it becomes too brown. Delicious hot or cooled - just try to let it sit ten minutes so it cuts neater (I so did not do this - hypocrite, I know).
I made this recipe exactly according to the original for my first trial, as I was a little nervous as to how it would turn out or how others would perceive it. In other words, I didn't want it to taste 'healthy'. My mother wasn't a huge fan - she didn't care for the texture, but she saw what I put in it. I think I should have processed it a bit longer, but I didn't want to liquefy it (been there, done that) so I held off. Next time I may process just the beans alone for a bit first. My father enjoyed it and didn't know what was in it, but agreed the texture was slightly off, you can't really taste the beans and the yummy amount of chocolate chips helped mask it.
Now that I know it works well, next time if I was making this recipe for myself or turning it into a protein bar I would make some changes to make it even healthier. The original recipes is from my favorite healthy dessert blog: http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/.
- I would use old-fashioned oats instead of instant since they are ground in the recipe anyway.
- I would decrease the amount of sugar, and use dates instead. Some have had success with using stevia, but I don't have experience with that ingredient, and the effects of it are not well known.
- I would increase the applesauce and decrease the oil.
- I would use dark chocolate chips or chunks.
- I may add some flax or wheat germ for more flavor and nutrition.
- I think I may have overbaked it a tad - it did still remain gooey and yummy, which isn't a concern considering there is no egg in it. But it was a little dark - covering it with foil may help.
My mother and I both eyed the recipe for these bars found in a magazine. My mother is the one who actually made them. They are supposed to be reminiscent of the popular chocolate bar. Of course it is not an exact replica, but I think the base could definitely be improved as this base is more of a shortbread base rather than a cookie base. Other than that, these squares are certainly sweet and gooey, with plenty of caramel and a nice chocolate topping. But I think there is definitely room for improvement.
Homemade Twix Bars
COOKIE BASE
1/3 cup butter, softened
3 Tablespoons granulated (white) sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose (plain) flour
CARAMEL FILLING
1/3 cup butter
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 Tablespoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
CHOCOLATE TOPPING
1 Tablespoon butter
1/3 cup ( 2 ounces) bittersweet or dark chocolate chips, or chopped chocolate
Preheat oven to 350◦F. Grease or line an 8x8 inch square pan.
CRUST: In a medium bowl, beat the butter and sugar. Mix in the flour. Press evenly in prepared pan. Bake for about 15 minutes until golden.
FILLING: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, milk, syrup, and molasses. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Simmer for 5 to 7 minutes until mixture is slightly thickened and pale golden brown. Stir in vanilla and salt. Immediately pour over crust. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
TOPPING: Melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave until smooth. Spread carefully over the caramel mixture. Refrigerate 30 minutes until set, then cut into squares.
NOTES & OBSERVATIONS: My mother didn't find there was enough crust, so she ended up whipping up a little more to fill the pan. We think the crust should be baked for a shorter time as well, as it was quite hard. The caramel filling is very good, but didn't seem to firm up as much as it should have, despite being chilled for longer. It also seemed like there was a lot more caramel than crust or chocolate. The chocolate topping didn't come together very smoothly - not sure if it was how or how long it was melted that influenced it. However, my mother was unable to pour the melted chocolate over top, but rather had to spread it, which disturbed some of the caramel.
BOTTOM LINE: They taste delicious, but presentation and serving (they're a bit messy) does not earn top marks!
This basic shortbread recipe is great to use for a wide variety of dishes. It makes great cookies, pie crusts, cut-outs, square bases, cheesecake bases, or cake bases. I most recently use it for my traditional miniature German Black Forest Cake (here). It is sweet, buttery, and not too dry or crumbly. The dough is so easy to work with, it holds together well, it lasts a long time, and may be refrigerated before baking or frozen after baking. It is also really quick, easy, and requires only four common ingredients.
Shortbread Base
1/4 cup butter
2 Tablespoons icing (powdered) sugar
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
scant 1 cup all-purpose (plain) flour
Beat the butter and sugar. Add the cornstarch and flour. Roll out into desired shapes. Bake at 325◦F for about 15 minutes.
This recipe makes a very small batch, the perfect amount for a five inch cake base.
I wouldn't necessarily call these "healthy cookies" but they are better for you than most typical cookie recipes. They are also a lot faster and easier to make - an added bonus. They contain a nice dose of chocolate, a nice flavor of coffee, and the nutrients of whole-grain oats. They are made with coconut oil, a healthier alternative to butter or margarine. The amount of sugar could probably be reduced, but I recommend using the full amount first, then adjusting to suit your tastes. Perhaps honey or agave would work too. I found the idea for these cookies on a healthy dessert recipe site.
Mocha Choco Oat No-Bake Cookies
1/2 cup old-fashioned (or quick) oats
(or use 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons oat flour)
3/4 cup quick oats
1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon granulated (white) sugar
1/4 cup miniature chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 Tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Grind the 1/2 cup oats in a blender until it resembles flour.
In a medium bowl, mix together the first seven dry ingredient. Stir together the liquid ingredients separately, then add to the dry, mix well. Roll into balls and refrigerate until firm.
The yield depends on how big and how flat you make them. I got 13 round cookies. One of these cookies is enough to give you a nice pick-me-up in the mid-afternoon!
Yesterday I went to one of my favorite restaurants for lunch. Since that is
the restaurant I visit the most often, I am quite familiar with the menu, and
have already tried many of the items on the menu. I had a delicious panzerotti
for lunch, which is basically an enclosed pizza. This is a pizza restaurant, and
actually it is my favorite pizza aside from homemade. I wanted a little something different, so I opted for the panzerotti. Of course the
panzerotti was delicious, with a perfect sauce, a nice crust, and an excellent
filling (you can choose your filling ingredients). However, the restaurant
recently introduced a new dessert, and that is what I was looking forward to the most. For awhile now, this restaurant has always had a dessert called the "Brownie Skillet", which I thought was one of the best dessert inventions ever. Basically, you take a chocolate brownie, cook it on a skillet, then top it with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and chocolate sauce. It gets delivered to the table, right on the skillet, piping hot. Sounds simple, but it is so genius. Now they have come up with a new creation: a cookie skillet. It is a giant (and I mean GIANT) chocolate chip and chunk cookie, the biggest I have ever seen, cooked on a skillet, then topped with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and chocolate sauce. It is absolute heaven. And totally worth it (it's actually very reasonably priced in my opinion). The only complaint I have, is I would have preferred no whipped cream (not a huge fan), and double (or triple) the chocolate sauce (a huge chocolate fan). Other than that though, it was absolutely delicious, and I would definitely get it again. The menu states it as being "Delightfully Craveable" and the caption sums it all up very nicely, "Where have you been all my life?" Who knows, I might even try making it at home myself some day, and experiment with different kinds of cookies! Also: this divine dessert is waaaayy better than it looks. I don't think any picture could ever do it enough justice. You will just have to experience it for yourself!
PHOTO CREDIT:"PD2012_Web Dessert Menu (1)" http://www.pizzadelight.com/5-desserts-menu.html.Pizza Delight, n.d. Tuesday, May 22, 2012.
