chocolate chip

#BundtBakers: Red

~ lk529 ~ 10 Comments

4ae7b-bundtbakerspostValentine’s Day was 2 days ago, so the theme of “red” was quite fitting this February. Could be the Bundt cake batter, the drizzle or frosting, a filling or decorations. #BundtBakers is a group of bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bundts with a common ingredient or theme. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme or ingredient. This month’s host is Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm.

Valentine’s cakes and I have a rough history, apparently. Maybe the cakes know that I don’t care for the holiday. Two years ago, I tried making a Red Velvet Cake. Without red food coloring. I went with green. Read about the hilarious quandary here: How the Grinch Stole Valentine’s Day.

This time around, the failure had to do with some serious cake-to-bundt-pan stickage. (It’s a word, don’t worry about looking that one up.)

I was going to throw in the towel and then I looked at it and thought, these little cakes are actually kind of pretty in their own ugly way. Without the “crust” you can see the pops of red from the cherries and the luscious chocolate chips saying hello.

naked-cake

I decided to power on! I made a ganache and a glaze with the maraschino cherry juice. And I think I ruined the aesthetic of the cakes by attempting to decorate them. I should have left well alone.

Firecracker wasn’t complaining though. He quite enjoyed his unhealthy snack of maraschino cherries, chocolate chips, and taste testing both the glaze and ganache. And then we shared a mini bundt when photo time was up. (No wonder he likes it when his little brother is napping!)

I got six 1 C bundtlettes, one 2.5 C bundt, and 2 cupcakes out of this batter amount. My husband and I immediately taste tested those cupcakes while watching a movie after the kids had gone to bed.

Cherry & Chocolate Chip Bundtlettes

Ingredients for glaze:

  • 1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
  • 1 3/4 C sugar
  • 4 egg whites
  • 3 C cake flour
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 C milk
  • 1 jar (10 oz) maraschino cherries, divided use
  • 1/2 C mini chocolate chips

Ingredients for glaze and ganache:

  • 2 C powdered sugar
  • 1/4 C maraschino cherry juice
  • 1/4 C chocolate chips
  • 2 tbsp warm heavy cream

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heavily grease six 1 C bundtlettes and one 2.5 C bundt pan.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Slowly add the egg whites.
  3. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
  4. In a measuring cup, stir 2 tbsp cherry juice into the milk.
  5. Add the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients to the stand mixer, alternating, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
  6. Chop the cherries (reserving a few for garnish if desired) and fold into the cake batter. Fold in the chocolate chips as well.
  7. Divide batter among bundt pans. Bake the bundlettes for 26-30 minutes and the bundt for 40 minutes, until a cake tester inserted comes out clean.
  8. Allow cakes to cool slightly before unmolding and allowing to cool completely on a cooling rack.
  9. Make the glaze: Whisk together the powdered sugar and cherry juice. Adjust ratios as needed to reach a desired consistency.
  10. Make the ganache: Stir the warm cream into the chocolate chips until melted.
  11. Decorate cakes with the glaze and the ganache. Option to garnish with reserved cherries.

*This recipe is adapted from Annie at http://mamadweeb.com/2014/02/cherry-chip-bundt-cake/*

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You can see all our of lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about #BundtBakers, can be found on our home page.

And don’t forget to take a peek at what other talented bakers have baked this month:

Berries Bundt Cake by Bizcocheando

Berry UpBeet Bundt Cake by All That’s Left Are The Crumbs

Bundt Cake extra rojo by La mejor manera

Cherry Bundt Cake by Basic N Delicious

Red Marble Bundt by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Red Velvet Bundt Cake by I love Bundt Cakes

Red Velvet Marble Bundt Cake by Patty’s Cake

Roasted Balsamic Cherry Chocolate Cake by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice

Strawberries and Cream Bundt Cake by Palatable Pastime

White Chocolate Bundt Cake with Raspberry Glaze and Fresh Raspberries by The Queen of Scones

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

~ lk529 ~ 10 Comments

There’s a brunch place around the corner that we discovered shortly after moving in that has the best pancakes. Ever. I always order the Strawberry Delight Pancakes which is a stack of three large chocolate chip pancakes topped with fresh strawberries, whipped cream, and extra chocolate chips. They’re perfectly tender with a bite to the “crust.” I can devour the large plate by myself. And pancakes aren’t usually my go-to breakfast order.

When I made these chocolate chip pancakes the immediately reminded me of Wildflower’s stack of pancakes. If only I had strawberries from the farmers market left! It would have been game over.

I wasn’t planning on blogging these pancakes or even photographing them, but when I took a bite all of that changed. Maybe the key to these pancakes is the combination of buttermilk and whole milk – a substitution I had to make due to a lack of enough buttermilk. Another key to the recipe is using mini chocolate chips, they simply distribute throughout the batter better.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Ingredients:

  • 2 C flour
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 C buttermilk
  • 1 C whole milk
  • 3 tbsp butter, melted
  • 1 C mini chocolate chips

Steps:

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  2. In another bowl, whisk the eggs with the buttermilk, milk, and melted butter.
  3. Combine wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Fold in the chocolate chips.
  4. On a hot buttered griddle drop 1/4 C of batter into pancakes. Flip pancakes when batter starts to set and bubbles form in the center of the pancake. Cook until both sides are golden brown.
  5. Serve with whipped cream and fresh fruit.

*This recipe is modified from Cade and Carrian at http://www.ohsweetbasil.com/better-moms-chocolate-chip-pancakes-recipe*

Chocolate Chip Pancakes | Sew You Think You Can Cook | http://sewyouthinkyoucancook.com

Chocolate Chip Cookies

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

My husband occasionally gets the craving for cookies hot out of the oven. And when that happens he’ll typically run to the nearest store and pick up a break-apart refrigerated cookie dough and preheat the oven.

But what happens when he gets the idea to actually make the cookies?

Turns out he breaks open the Cookie cookbook and finds a recipe for us to bake. The cookie was supposed to be a Chocolate-Chip Hazelnut Cookie. Of course we didn’t actually have any hazelnuts. So… it’s just a chocolate chip cookie. But, since when was a chocolate chip cookie a bad thing?

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

  • 1 C flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/3 C butter, softened
  • 1/2 C sugar
  • 1/4 C brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2/3 C chocolate chips

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease two baking sheets.
  2. In a small bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt.
  3. Cream together butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer. Add in the egg and vanilla and mix to combine. Add the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips.
  4. Spoon cookie batter onto prepared baking sheets an inch or two apart.
  5. Bake 10-12 minutes. Remove from the baking sheet to a cooling rack.

*This recipe is adapted from The Cookie Book: Over 300 Step-by-Step Recipes for Home Baking*

Chocolate Chip Cookies | Sew You Think You Can Cook | http://sewyouthinkyoucancook.com

#SundaySupper: Recipes with Coffee

~ lk529 ~ 17 Comments

Over Labor Day weekend we traveled to Northern California, Santa Cruz to be exact, to celebrate my cousin’s wedding.

The wedding was one we will never forget. They got married standing underneath exquisite Redwoods with the sun peaking through the massive trees.

To reach the ceremony site, we hopped aboard a narrow gauge train and traveled uphill for about 25 minutes. Following the beautiful exchange of vows we climbed back on the train to return to the reception location. The entire experience was simply breathtaking.

To say my train obsessed toddler was in heaven is an understatement!

felton-wedding

We spent the long weekend in Santa Cruz with my parents and uncle at a vacation rental home on the water. We enjoyed exploring the area and discovering the differences between that beach city and the one we’re living in now.

Chocolate Chip Mocha Smoothie for #SundaySupper from Sew You Think You Can Cook (1)Because we staying in a “hotel house,” as we described it to my toddler, I had the luxury of being able to cook! I made Chicken Chorizo Meatballs (a variation of this recipe) for the rehearsal party at my aunt’s “hotel house,” a beautiful cheese platter for dinner one night, and coffee smoothies to accompany some local pastries for breakfast one morning!

I was counting on making my recipe for this week’s Sunday Supper over the wedding weekend so I packed my chocolate chips and chocolate sauce. Doesn’t everyone travel with chocolate chips in tow?!

Thankfully the vacation home had a blender! I hadn’t considered that I may not have one before hitting the grocery store to pick up yogurt and whipped cream.

This smoothie was met with mixed reviews. My dad was not a fan, but sweet coffee drinks are not his thing. My uncle and I enjoyed our glasses, though. That being said, I have some suggestions for changes I’d make next time:

  • The tang from Greek yogurt was a little too much to pair with the coffee, so I’d switch to regular yogurt (or you know, ice cream but then we can’t call it breakfast can we?)
  • To balance out the sweetness level, I’d add a touch of vanilla extract

Chocolate Chip Mocha Smoothie

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 C ice
  • 3/4 C vanilla Greek yogurt
  • 3/4 C cooled coffee
  • 1/4 C chocolate chips
  • 1/4 C chocolate syrup

Steps:

  1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Garnish, if desired, with whipped cream and extra chocolate syrup.

*This recipe is adapted from Jacqui at http://www.dishingdelish.com/chocolate-chip-mocha-breakfast-smoothie/*

Chocolate Chip Mocha Smoothie for #SundaySupper from Sew You Think You Can Cook (2)

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Sunday Supper MovementJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out ourPinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

#FoodieExtravaganza: Pancakes

~ lk529 ~ 19 Comments

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It may be National Waffle Week but this month’s #FoodieExtravaganza is celebrating Pancake Day, which falls on the 26th. Thanks to Caroline of Caroline’s Cooking for stepping up and hosting today!

The Foodie Extravaganza is a monthly party hosted by bloggers who love food! Each month we incorporate one main ingredient or theme into recipes to share with you.

Conveniently, I was already sitting on a pancake recipe to share with you! These Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Pancakes were a huge hit! I mean, what’s not to love? We’re talking the classic combination of chocolate and peanut butter.

Thanks to the protein-packed pancakes, you don’t need to eat a lot of them to feel full and satisfied. In fact, upon seeing the batter, my husband nervously asked if it would be enough. I assured him that if it weren’t, I could easily whip up another batch. It wasn’t necessary.

I greatly enjoyed these pancakes with a large dollop of whipped cream. (Which Firecracker called ice cream.)

chocolate-chip-peanut-butter-pancakes-toddler-sew-you-think-you-can-cook

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Pancakes

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/8 C flour
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 C peanut butter
  • 1 C milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 C chocolate chips

Steps:

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  2. In another bowl, whisk together the egg, peanut butter, milk, and vanilla.
  3. Combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
  4. On a hot buttered griddle drop 1/2 C of batter into pancakes. Flip pancakes when batter starts to set and bubble form in the center of the pancake. Cook until both sides are golden brown.

*This recipe is adapted from Aimee at http://lmld.org/2014/09/10/peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-pancakes/*

chocolate-chip-peanut-butter-pancakes-for-foodieextravaganza-from-sew-you-think-you-can-cook

Be sure to check out these other pancakes:

Blueberry Oatmeal Pancakes by Cooking With Carlee

Buckwheat Pancakes by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Caramel Apple Pancakes by The Freshman Cook

Caramelized Banana Topped Pancakes by cookinandcraftin

Churro Pancakes by Cookaholic Wife

Corn Panki / Corn Pancakes by Sneha’s Recipe

Heath Bar and Banana Pancakes by Our Good Life

Masala dosa by Caroline’s Cooking

Panqueques con Dulce de Leche (Argentinian Dulce de Leche Crepes) by Tara’s Multicultural Table

Peaches and Cream Crepes by Fearlessly Creative Mammas

Peanut Butter and Jelly Pancakes by Making Miracles

Silver Dollar Chocolate Chip Pancakes by Hardly A Goddess

Spring Onion Pancakes with Spicy Dipping Sauce by Food Lust People Love

If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you’re a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board! Looking for our previous parties? Check them out HERE.

#MuffinMonday: Chocolate Chip Blood Orange Muffins

~ lk529 ~ 15 Comments

Muffin Monday

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins to brighten their Mondays. There isn’t a theme to #MuffinMonday posts so anything goes, as long as it’s a muffin!

You can see all our of lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page.

About a month and a half ago I finally had the opportunity to discover first hand the beauty that is the blood orange. I’ve known of them but had never found them anywhere. And then one of the farmers markets had them and I grabbed a fair few. Most of them I simply indulged in my new favorite thing to do: cut open a blood orange and snap a photo of it (see Instagram) then squeeze the juice out of it and have a fresh glass. As blood oranges can vary in color from orange to dark red I had a blast being surprised by each slice of the knife. I came to the conclusion that the darker the fruit, the sweeter its juice.

 

When I made these muffins I “wasted” the darker oranges on the juice that went into the batter. The ones I’d saved for the photographs looked like your boring, everyday run-of-the-mill orange. Go figure. The pigment of your orange will actually affect the final color of your muffin.

This recipe makes 1 dozen muffins.

Chocolate Chip Blood Orange Muffins

Ingredients:

  • 1 3/4 C flour
  • 1/2 C sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • zest of 3 blood oranges
  • 3/4 C chocolate chips
  • 2 eggs
  • 2/3 C fresh blood orange juice (3-4 oranges)
  • 1 stick  butter, melted
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with liners.
  2. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and orange zest. Mix in the chocolate chips.
  3. In another bowl whisk together the eggs, juice, butter, and vanilla.
  4. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Divide batter among prepared muffin tin.
  5. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out cleanly. Allow muffins to cool in the pan 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

*This recipe is adapted from Tara at http://tarasmulticulturaltable.com/blood-orange-chocolate-chip-muffins/*

Chocolate Chip Blood Orange Muffins for #MuffinMonday from Sew You Think You Can Cook

And don’t forget to check out these other muffin recipes:

Banana Bread and Chocolate Muffins from Making Miracles

Grilled Cherry Muffins from Farm Fresh Feasts

Jamaican Me Hungry Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Margarita Sour Cream Muffins from Karen’s Kitchen Stories

Pancake Muffins from Passion Kneaded

Sweet Corn Muffins from Food Lust People Love

#EVOOChallenge: Dark Chocolate Chip Olive Oil Donuts

~ lk529 ~ 3 Comments

It’s the final day of the #EVOOChallenge. This challenge, in which we make foods with the only cooking fat being olive oil, was issued by Spartan Olive Oil. The goal is to highlight the benefits of using olive oil over its less healthy counterparts, I’m looking at you butter and vegetable oil. Search the hashtag on social media to see more great recipes!

While both olive oil and vegetable oil have 120 Calories and 14 grams of fat per tbsp, olive oil has 10 grams of monounsaturated fat (the good fat) whereas vegetable oil has only 3 grams of monounsaturated fat. Monounsaturated fat is actually good for your health; it reduces bad cholesterol and provides vitamin E. (Source: American Heart Association)

This unfiltered extra-virgin olive oil is made from the olives of 700 year old trees in Sparta, Greece. The flavorful oil has a rich golden color and smooth texture. I wanted to highlight the nutty, fruity flavor of the oil in my recipes this week.

I wanted to end the week on a sweet note and make dessert, or breakfast if you’re so inclined! I got a donut pan for my birthday last summer and thought it was about time it was christened! I brought my son into the kitchen and let him whisk the ingredients and add the pinch of salt… which ended up being more than a pinch… ah well!

I veered a bit from the recipe: I substituted cake flour for the pastry flour because I simply didn’t want to buy another flour variety (we’re moving in a couple of months and I really need to start cleaning house). I don’t know if chemically that was a valid substitution, but I ran away with it. I also used whole milk instead of buttermilk because I didn’t have any in the fridge. (Yes, I know there’s a substitution involving vinegar but for only 2 tbsp worth of milk I didn’t bother.) And yet another “lazy baker” change was to put dark chocolate chips inside the donuts instead of glazing them with a beautiful dark chocolate icing. With my first attempt at baking donuts I didn’t fully realize that the tops wouldn’t get golden so for aesthetic purposes they definitely benefit from a frosting. I wonder if it’d be possible to flip the donuts midway through the baking process to get both sides golden from the pan. (I’m just “talking” out loud here.)

Dark Chocolate Chip Olive Oil Donuts for the #EVOOChallenge from Sew You Think You Can Cook

My 18 month old snagged a donut during food photography took a little bite and declared them “good.”

This recipe makes 6 baked donuts.

Dark Chocolate Chip Donuts

Ingredients:

  • 1 C cake flour
  • 1/2 C sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 1/4 C dark chocolate chips

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 6 tin donut pan with olive oil.
  2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
  3. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, olive oil, and milk.
  4. Combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until smooth. Fold in the chocolate chips.
  5. Divide batter evenly into prepared donut pan. Bake 10-15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out cleanly.

*This recipe is modified from Tara at http://tarasmulticulturaltable.com/olive-oil-doughnuts-with-dark-chocolate-glaze-and-sea-salt/*

Dark Chocolate Chip Olive Oil Donuts for the #EVOOChallenge from Sew You Think You Can Cook (2)

Disclaimer: By participating in this 5 day challenge I received a bottle and pouch of Spartan Olive Oil. 

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Banana Bread Muffins

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

I like almost any banana bread recipe. And Stuart likes to buy extra bananas with the intention of letting them get too ripe, just so that I can make banana bread.

I have tried many different recipes, and this one is our favorite. It uses a combination of whole wheat flour and all purpose flour.

Banana Bread Muffins 7

I’d purchased a bag of whole wheat flour for something (can’t remember what) and we hated it. So then I thought, “Great, what do I do with these three pounds of flour?!” I’d found an all whole wheat banana bread recipe… didn’t care for that. And then we tried this one. It’s mostly all purpose flour, but with just a bit of whole wheat flour. It’s enough whole wheat flour to give the bread some body, but not enough to make the loaf dry and mealy. Adding in cinnamon chips or chocolate chips gives it a little extra sweetness.

I prefer pouring my banana bread batter into either mini loaf pans or into muffin pans because it’s easier to grab on the way out the door than slicing off a piece out of the loaf pan.

Banana Bread Muffins 1 Banana Bread Muffins 2 Banana Bread Muffins 3 Banana Bread Muffins 4 Banana Bread Muffins 5 Banana Bread Muffins 6

Note: This recipe makes 10 muffins or 7 mini loaves. Doubling this recipe will yield enough batter for a full bread loaf.

Banana Bread Muffins

Ingredients:

  • 2 ripe bananas
  • 1 egg, whisked
  • 2 1/2 tbsp butter, melted
  • 3/8 C sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/4 C whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 C all purpose flour
  • chocolate chips, cinamon chips, nuts (optional)

Steps

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Stir in the melted butter (make sure it’s cooled slightly so it will not cook the egg). Stir in sugar, vanilla, and half to all of the egg (this will depend on how big your bananas are, I only used half of the egg). Add in baking soda and salt. Mix in flours.
  3. Pour two heaping tbsp of batter into each greased or lined muffin tray. If using nuts or chocolate/cinnamon chips, put five into each muffin and gently fold into batter with a small spoon. (I find that folding them into the batter before pouring ends up with all of them at the bottom of the bowl)
  4. Bake 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Note: If you are doubling the recipe, the loaf pan will take an hour to cook. Mini loaves will still only take 20 minutes.

*This recipe is adapted from Katherine at http://www.katherinemartinelli.com/blog/2011/over-ripe-banana-heaven/*

Banana Bread Muffins 8