Posts Tagged ‘chocolate’

Allrecipes Best Chocolate Chip Cookie

January 25, 2012

These cookies are delicious. Possibly the best chocolate chip cookie recipe I’ve found thus far. And I’ve tested my fair share of recipes for chocolate chip
cookies.

20120123-204109.jpgI omitted the walnuts because (a) I’ve never been a nut in your cookies kind of girl and (b) J is allergic. But, besides that I stuck straight to the recipe and they were perfect.

20120123-204120.jpgOh! And I baked them for 11 1/2 minutes instead of the 10 minutes they suggest. But that may vary depending on each persons oven. I found they are best when you take them out just when they’re slightly golden brown on the edges.

20120123-204512.jpgCrispy/crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. Just how I like my cookies. Divine.

Recipe here.

Grandmom Ruth’s Chocolate Sundae Pie: Another Last Minute Thanksgiving Recipe

November 24, 2010

I posted this recipe almost 3 YEARS AGO (Wow! Have I really been on this blog for 3 years?!).

I thought it’d be fun to share again, since…

  • a. It’s yummy
  • b. It’s perfect for thanksgiving dessert
  • c. It’s nostaligic for me
  • d. I made the pie crust last night and am mixing up the pie filling in just a few minutes…
  • e. It’s yummy… sorry, I feel it’s important to emphasize the delicious factor.

If you’re looking for a last minute thanksgiving dessert,…go no further. You will not be disappointed in this one.

It’s my Grandmom Ruth’s tried and true recipe,..we have it at ALL holiday functions. It’s delicious,…and yummy. Did I tell you that yet?!

Check it out,…try it out,… and let me know what you think!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

**********************

Grandmom Ruth’s Chocolate Sundae Pie, posted on December 3, 2007

Normally, I like to accompany my recipes with step by step pictures, but not today…

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I made this pie for Thanksgiving while up in Ventura at my in-law’s house. With so much cooking and baking to do, I didn’t have the time or energy to take detailed pictures of each step, but what the heck,…I’m going to post it anyway, just because it’s so delicious!!

This is the background to this glorious, custard-y dish of delight…

My sweet Grandma Ruth has made this pie,… since ever!! It is what I have known,… it is what’s familiar to me,… and it is what’sSTAPLE at ALL holiday dinners in our family. And get this,….supposedly it is what caused my Grandpop to marry my Grandmom. She said she had only known my Grandpop for a week or so and when she made him this pie, he dropped on his knee right then and there and asked her to marry him. True story…. not exaggerated one bit. Well,… maybe a bit, but just a little bit. He did eat her pie and he did ask her to marry him… shortly thereafter. Just not right after he took the first bite… maybe a couple days later or so…

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The funny/sad part to the story is that my Grandpop and Grandma Ruth divorced about 20 years later, but he still always loved that pie! In his old age, he developed diabetes which didn’t allow him to have many sweets, but every time there were holiday gatherings he’d still try to sneak my Grandma’s pie,… even with my step grandmother peeking over his shoulder.

So, as you can see,… this pie is pretty much what our family is built on (ok, that may be pushing it a little bit!) but,… it’s really, really, really good! And, you should make it!

Grandma’s Chocolate Sundae Pie

1 c. evaporated milk

1/2 c. water

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

3 eggs (separated)

3/4 c. sugar

1/8 tsp. salt

1 envelope knox’s gelatin dissolved in 3 tbsp. cold water (dissolved about 5 minutes before egg mixture is combined)

1 tbsp. vanilla

1 baked pie shell

Cool Whip topping or Heavy Whipping Cream

Unsweetened Chocolate

Directions:

-Mix together milk, water, and nutmeg in double boiler on low heat (or a regular pan on very low heat)

-In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks until light in color, then add in salt and sugar.

-Pour the hot milk mixture over the egg mixture (making sure to do it gradually, a little at a time).

-Return mixture to double boiler.

-Cook until mixture resembles a fairly thick cream and coats back of spoon.

-Remove from heat and add gelatin which has been soaking in cold water for about 5 minutes.

-Add vanilla into mixture.

-Let mixture cool completely

-When mixture is cooled completely, beat remaining egg whites until peaks form.

-Fold stiffly beaten egg whites into mixture, carefully.

-Pour mixture into baked pie shell and set in fridge for a few hours.

- Before serving, cover with cool whip and top with shavings of unsweetened chocolate.

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Believe me. The time it takes to make this is worth every minute,…

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins,…with an extra stick of butter.

July 14, 2010

So,….when I got married my sister threw me a bridal shower. At this shower she had each guest fill out a card with their favorite recipe for me to have. One of my oldest friends, oh sweet Caroline, gave me the MOST delicious recipe for Banana Bread.

This recipe has been absolutely one of my FAVORITES,…my go-to for a quick and yummy breakfast treat, a mid afternoon snack, an all around delicious bread that I make for all occasions.

Her hint: throw in some chocolate chips and it’s even more divine! So, I did what EVERY girl would do, I made this bread and threw in chocolate chips, as many as I could! Afterall, it’s chocolate, you know. However, when making this bread there was always one odd point that left me unsettled every time I began mixing the ingredients…

“Cream 1/2 cup butter (2 sticks) or 1 stick + 1/4 cup canola oil”

“What does that exactly mean?!”, I’d think to myself. Do I cream 1/2 cup of butter OR 2 sticks (which equals 1 cup of butter) or 1 stick + 1/4 cup canola oil?? And is the one stick in her recipe really 2 sticks in my recipe which to her equals half a cup? And do I still add the canola oil?! WHAT DO I DO?! Ahhhhh!

Well, being me and only liking something that will, FOR SURE, taste good I always added the 2 sticks of butter because more butter = better. Can we all agree on that?! And, like I said, they were never a disappointment.

So a couple of weeks ago, Caroline and I had a conversation via Facebook, here’s how it went:

Me: “hi cara! so i have a question… can I share your YUMMY banana chocolate chip bread on my website? is it a secret recipe and i shouldn’t share? i can give props to your amazing baker ability! let me know.”

Caroline: “Sure, go ahead! i was just talking about that the other day. Did I accidentally put two sticks of butter on there?”

Me: “YES you did!! that is why they are SOOO yummy! I noticed it when you first gave me the recipe cause you said something like 1/2 cup of butter and then in parenthesis (2 sticks!) I’ve made them that way ever since…..i know it’s ridiculous, but they are SOOOOO good!!!!”

Caroline: “i think i got confused : ) … yeah, it is way better that way, you are right!”

OOPS! So, there you go my friends, not meant to be 2 sticks of butter, but shoot….they’re WAY better with it, so I’d definitely recommend you going for it too. All props go to Caroline for putting, on this earth, the BEST EVER BANANA BREAD recipe for ALL OF US to enjoy and share.

Here is it,…enjoy!

From the Kitchen of Caroline:

Leo’s Banana Bread (Special) <— this is what Caroline calls it, I call it THE MOST AMAZING BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFIN RECIPE EVER!

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

-2 cups flour

-1 tsp. baking powder

-1/2 tsp. baking soda

-1/2 tsp. salt

-2 sticks butter (1 cup <— let’s just call it what it is!)

-1 cup packed brown sugar

-2 eggs

-1 cup mashed bananas

-1 cup chocolate chips (I ALWAYS end up putting waaaay more!)

Cream butter + sugar. Add eggs + banana. Add dry ingredients (I mix dry ingredients ALL together before adding to wet).

Caroline says to pour 1/2 batter into 9 x 5 loaf pan, sprinkle with 1/2 chocolate chips, pour in rest of batter, and then sprinkle the top with the rest of the chocolate chips.

I usually make this bread into muffins and normally mix the chocolate chips in with the batter, then drop a few fresh chips on top at the end!

If you bake the loaf, time will be about 50-60 minutes… muffins will take about 18-22 minutes.

YUM!

Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies

May 9, 2008

Another great Everday Food recipe….


Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies!!!

And in giant, they mean scooping up a 1/4 cup of chocolate chip cookie dough for each cookie…

Try the recipe out! They were delicious!

Almond Brittle

April 24, 2008

I love baking, but its sometimes not so great for J and I. Both for our waist sizes and also for our health– eating freshly baked chocolate chip cookies every single night may taste great, but I don’t think it can be that good for you. Yeah,… that’s thats what I’m thinking…

So about a month ago, J and I went to our friends house for dinner. I volunteered to bring the dessert. Baking for other people motivates me and gives me a reason to try out something new and fresh that I’ve never made before. And I also don’t have to worry about having a dozen sweets in our house, to be left for only J and I to eat. It’s great, I don’t have to worry about growing old and overly plump,… at least for one night.

On this particular night, I didn’t want to have to go out to the store to purchase ingredients. And I was so proud of myself! I came up with two desserts with ingredients that came solely from our cupboards. One of the desserts was the Lime Meltaways, which I posted pictures of a few weeks ago and the other,…

Almond Brittle!

I had never made brittle before and always thought it would be some difficult task. However, it wasn’t at all… if anything, it was very basic and easy.

I found the recipe on Noshtalgia’s blog, while surfing through some cooking sites. And, although it’s for Peanut Brittle, I didn’t have any peanuts so I replaced them with Almonds and sprinkled the top with broken up chunks of chocolate.

Don’t be intimidated…it really wasn’t that hard to make. I really was amazed!

All you do is gather the basic ingredients: almonds (or any nut you desire), water, baking soda, butter, white sugar, white karo syrup, salt, and chocolate chunks.

Boil everything except for the baking soda, butter, and chocolate until it reaches a temperature of 310 degrees on your thermometer. I used this type of thermometer.

Then, take it off the heat, stir in your baking soda and butter, and pour onto your buttered cookie sheet.

It should harden pretty rapidly. If you like,…of course you would like to!, sprinkle on chunks of chocolate…yum, yum… and spread it over your brittle if you’re going for the full chocolate coverage.

After it has cooled, pick up the large slab of sugary, nutty goodness and drop it back onto your cookie sheet. Repeat with the pieces until they break into the sizes you like.

Almond Brittle

(adapted from Noshtalgia’s Blog)

2 cups almonds (broken into pieces)

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup white Karo syrup

About a teaspoon of salt (to season and counteract with the sweet)

About 1 1/2 cups of any kind of chocolate you like broken up into bits.

-Butter a cookie sheet and set aside.

-Mix water, sugar, almonds, salt, and syrup in a 2 quart sauce pan.

-Bring to a boil.

-Cook until candy thermometer reaches hard crack stage (310°F).

-Remove from heat.

-Quickly stir in baking soda and butter, as it will harden rapidly.

-Pour quickly onto a buttered cookie sheet and let stand for about an hour to cool.

-After it has set for about 20 minutes or so, sprinkled broken up pieces of chocolate on top of brittle. Or sprinkle it on while it is still warm and then spread the chocolate around with a knife for chocolate coated brittle.

-After it has cooled, break up into pieces.

Enjoy and let me know how it turns out!!


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