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Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
What do you do when there is a rain delay during Game 7 of the World Series? You bake cookies of course. Okay, maybe this isn’t what everyones first instinct is, but it definitely was mine last night. I actually came across this recipe when I was in college and then remembered it because it appeared in one of my facebook memories from more than 5 years ago. Made me think it was time to bring this one back for fall. This recipe is SO easy it hardly constitutes baking. I honestly could make these with my 4 year old nephew as long as I operated the oven. I totally…
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Almond Coco-Choco-Bites
I love snack foods, but sometimes it’s hard to resist opening a bag of chips and feeling hungry again 20 minutes later. This recipe fulfills my (constant) chocolate craving and still doesn’t make me feel like I’m cheating. I especially love them on weeks like this where I am exhausted and constantly running around. Ingredients: 1/2 C old fashioned oats raw 1/2 C almond butter (I used Justin’s almond butter which I got free from Thrive!!) 1/2 C sweetend coconut flakes, toasted 1/3 C flaxseed meal 1/2 C semisweet chocolate chips 1 t vanilla extract Also, shout out to my friend Nick who introduced me to the website Thrive Market. Thrive is…
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(Slightly) Less-Guilty Muddy Buddies
Let’s face it, during the holidays we all cheat and eat totally sugary foods. And chocolate sweets are absolutely my favorite way to cheat. Not that I feel that guilty honestly anyway, but this recipe is a (slightly) less-guilty version of a childhood classic, muddy buddies! For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about (or who call these another name), this snack is a delicious combination of chocolate, peanut butter, cereal, and sugar. Sounds healthy right? Well, maybe not. But, I promise these things are delicious and totally addictive. Ingredients: 9 C of whole grain “chex” – I use barbara’s brand because they are lower in sugar…
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Mocha Mousse Tart (gluten free!)
My lovely friend Rebecca just turned 26 and I wanted to make her something delicious and sweet. This tart is gluten-free (though it doesn’t have to be) and not overly sweet. Plus it’s a pretty quick and easy dessert to make. Ingredients: 2/3 C melted butter + extra to grease pans 2 C graham crackers 2/3 C + 4 T cocoa 5 T warm water 1 t vanilla 4 ounces bitter sweet or dark chocolate 2 C cold heavy cream 3 T sugar 1/2 t. salt 6 ounces semisweet chocolate morsels 1/4 C black coffee Recipe: 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. 2. Combine graham crackers, 2/3 C cocoa…
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Thomas the Tank Engine Cake
My adorable and amazing nephew Mokshay turned 2 this month and I was beyond excited to celebrate his Thomas the Tank Engine themed birthday. Let’s be serious, we all love time in a bouncy house, even in our 20s! For his birthday cake, I made two chocolate cakes (one 10 inch and one 8 inch round). The bottom layer was covered in rainbow jimmies (sprinkles) and the top layer was covered in white rolled fondant. The little thomas train on top is made of rice crispy treats covered in blue fondant. All of the smaller decorations were done in vanilla buttercream frosting or rolled fondant. Here’s some pictures of the…
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PB & Chocolate Popcorn
I saw a recipe for Poppy Chow on Tasty Kitchen, and thought it would be a fun snack to bring to my book club. It’s super easy to make and completely addicting to eat! Ingredients: 1 Bag of unbuttered popcorn 1/4 C peanut butter 6 ounces of bittersweet chocolate 1/2 C salted peanuts 1/4 C powdered sugar 1/4 C butter 1 T vanilla Recipe: 1. Pop one bag of popcorn in the microwave (bag directions) and remove all unpopped kernels! 2. Melt butter and chocolate in a double broiler. When thoroughly melted, add in peanut butter and vanilla and mix completely. 3. Mix popcorn, chocolate mixture, and peanuts in a…
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache Cupcakes
Chocolate peanut butter cupcakes with chocolate ganache When I was a kid, my favorite part of valentine’s day was getting tons and tons of chocolate and sugary candies to eat all day at school. There is no such thing as too much chocolate in my opinion. These cupcakes are a great chocolatey treat for Valentine’s day or otherwise. I adapted a recipe found here. These would be great with another filling (coconut, raspberry, custard, etc.) if peanut butter isn’t your style. Ingredients: 1.5 C Cake flour (sifted) 1/2 C butter 1.5 C sugar 1 t. baking soda 1/4 t. baking powder 1 t. salt 1/2 C unsweetened cocoa powder…
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Peppermint Bark
I absolutely love Christmas! The flavors and smells and sounds (yes, even the cheesy music) are so fun! We just got our Christmas tree and started putting up the lights, ornaments, stockings, etc. I’m also super excited to be traveling during this holiday season. I’m spending a week in india to celebrate a close family friend’s wedding and then ten days in Indonesia traveling with two high school buddies. Exciting times ahead! Here is a VERY easy recipe for peppermint bark, that is sure to be a crowd pleaser. I know I say a lot of recipes are easy, but this definitely takes the cake. 🙂 Ingredients: 8 oz bag…
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Holiday Cookies!
I’m a huge proponent of baked gifts! They are personal and tasty while still being thoughtful. I also like the idea of spending time to create something you know your friends will use (or eat) especially when you have a good number of gifts to make. I wanted to create something for a bunch of the people who work with my lab in really important roles that often go unnoticed- the secretaries, technicians, etc. I decided to make a few tins of holiday cookies and some cookies in a jar to gift. For those of you who don’t know what cookies in a jar are, you basically layer all the…
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Kahlua chocolate cake
One of my coworkers turned 21 today so I needed to come up with an alcoholic pastry that I could easily transport. This is actually my favorite chocolate cake recipe, but today I decided to go with a chocolate cupcakes with Kahlua buttercream frosting. They are fun and easy to make…Enjoy! Cake Ingredients: 1.25 C Flour 1 C white sugar 1/2 C unsweetened Cocoa Powder 1/2 C butter 2 eggs 1 t baking soda 1 t baking power 1 t vanilla extract 1/2 C milk 1 pudding cup Kahlua Buttercream Frosting: 1 C butter 2 C powdered sugar 1.5 C Kahlua Instructions: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F 2. Cream together butter and sugar 3. Add in all other dry…
