S'more pie please!

With summer coming up I've been looking for different variations on s'mores. Cause who doesn't love melty chocolate, graham cracker & roasted marshmallows? Well then, for a birthday breakfast I decided to make this pie for the chocoholics & of course it was a hit! Lemme give you a teaser for a quick minute: crushed graham cracker buttery crust with a chocolate mousse creamy filling topped with a broiled marshmallow top. Howaboutit???! Super easy to make!

Pie crust

1 cup of crushed graham crackers
1/2 cup of sugar
1 stick of butter

Chocolate filling
1 1/4 cup of chocolate chips ( I used semi sweet)
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2 eggs
Teaspoon of vanilla
Pinch of salt

Mini marshmallows to top with

1. In a bowl mix graham cracker crumbs and sugar till combined.
2. Add the melted butter and mix till crumbly but pastey
3. Line pie pan with graham cracker mixture & bake for 10 min. Let cool for 10 min
4. Heat your heavy cream until boiling and add chocolate chips. Whisk until smooth.
5. In a separate bowl mix eggs, vanilla and salt.
6. Pour egg mixture into chocolate mixture and stir gently till combined.
7. Pour your chocolate mixture into your graham cracker crust & bake 20-25 min until the middle is set.
8. Let your pie cool for 10 minutes and preheat your broiler to Hi.
9. Sprinkle pie with marshmallows & broil for 1-2 minutes.
10. Let cool & serve . Refrigerate when done

Irish You a Happy St.Patrick's Day (chocolate Guinness cupcakes)

So while everyone has there own way to celebrate St.Patrick's Day; eating corned beef and cabbage, going to a pub with friends or having a party at home. What better way to celebrate than with Guinness but not only Guinness by itself...oh no this is big. While browsing for recipes i stumbled upon this one and thought what's the perfect thing to bring to a St.Patty's day potluck but these Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes with cream cheese frosting! (Baking tip- to make these giant cupcakes fill the cupcake liners full with batter!) Happy Eating!

Guinness Chococolate Cake 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup stout or porter beer, such as Guinness
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 1/2 cups superfine sugar
• 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

METHOD

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pan with 12 paper liners

2 In a large saucepan place the beer and butter. Cook over medium-high heat until the butter has melted. Add the cocoa powder and sugars and whisk together. Take off heat and allow to come to room temperature.

3 In another bowl beat together the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla extract until very, very well combined. Add to the butter-beer mixture and whisk together.

4 In another bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the beer-butter mixture and whisk together until it just comes together. Pour into the prepared pan and give the pan a few short drops onto the countertop to shake the air pockets in the batter to the surface and out of the cake. Bake for 35-40 minutes and to prevent from overcooking let cool in cupcake pan and take out after and let cool on a rack or cookie sheet 

5 Spread frosting on the cooled cupcakes and serve.

Cream Cheese Frosting 

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), room temperature
• 8 oz of Philly cream cheese (1 package), room temperature
• 2 - 3 cups of powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

METHOD

1 With an electric mixer, mix the butter and cream cheese together, about 3 minutes on medium speed until very smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing.

2 Add the vanilla extract and mix. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Keep adding until you get to desired sweetness and thickness.

3  spoon into a piping bag to decorate your cupcakes.

Milk and Cookies

So most of you folks know that i loveeeee chocolate, as in i'm pretty sure i eat it everyday at least a little. With that said i decided to take on some double chocolate cookies, you know the kind that you take a bite and you need to scramble for a glass of milk?  the ones that are super chocolatey and rich but you can't settle with one bite. Reader meet Giant Double chocolate cookies, Giant chocolate cookies meet reader! Enjoy

Giant Double Chocolate Cookies

Yield: 12 very large cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
1¼ cup sugar
2 large eggs
½ cup dark cocoa powder
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. coarse salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar.  Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.  Blend in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed.  Mix in the cocoa powder until well blended.  Add the flour, salt and baking powder to the bowl and mix on low speed just until incorporated.  Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.  Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead briefly by hand to be sure the ingredients are well combined.

Divide the dough into 4 ounce portions (or divide into 12 equal pieces).  Roll each portion of dough into a ball and flatten just slightly into a disc.  Place on the prepared baking sheets, a few inches apart.  Bake 16-20 minutes.  Let cool on the baking sheets 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Check out these rolls!

One of the hardest things about going to the mall is walking by the Cinnabon and smelling what is the wonderful goodness of sticky, buttery, cinnamon rolls. I decided that this would be a challenge i would accept and therefore if i made them from scratch the calories wouldn't count. I didn't eat the whole batch but  these can be lethal sitting in your kitchen. So here's my take on cinnabon cinnamon rolls! Who said you cant have cinnamon rolls for breakfast, lunch& dinner?

Enjoy & happy eating!

Suga/Butter  filling
1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar
3 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 cup of melted butter

Roll Dough
2 packs of active dry yeast ( 2 tbsp)
1 tsp granulated sugar
1 cup of hot water
1 cup of warm milk
2/3 granulated sugar
2/3 melted butter
2 tsp salt
2 eggs (slightly beaten)
4-6 cups of flour

Pan Filling
1/2 cup of melted butter
1/3 cup of granulated sugar

Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup butter
16 oz powdered sugar

Mix together 1 1/2 cup of sugar and 3 tbsp of cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.
To make your dough, Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water.  
In a large bowl mix warm milk,sugar, butter and salt then add yeast mixture.
Add beaten eggs and 2 cups of flour at a time. Add up to 6 cups to make a stretchy yet slightly stiff dough that you can work with easily.
 Put dough on a floured surface and knead for 6 minutes.
Put dough in a greased bowl and cover let it rise for 1 1/2 hours.
Punch dough down and let it rest for 5 minutes
Roll the dough out on a well floured surface to a 15x 20' rectangle
Brush rolled out dough with 1/2 cup of melted butter and sprinkle evenly with Cinnamon sugar mixture.
Roll up the dough as tight as you can and pinch the edges to seal.
Brush 1/2 cup of melted butter and 1/3 cup of granulated sugar onto the bottom of your baking sheet
Cut rolled up dough into 12-15 slices using dental floss or thread and place in your baking sheet
Let cinnamon rolls rise for 45 minutes and then preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bake for 25- 30 minutes or until golden brown

To prepare the frosting in a saucepan over low heat melt 1/2 cup of butter, add in 8 oz of cream cheese and 16 oz of powdered sugar. Whisk until creamy and completely melted. Pour icing of hot cinnamon rolls and feast!

Hot, Hot, Hot

So with all this sunny weather happening everywhere, I know everyones grilling & enjoying the sun! This summer is a great time to try new things to grill; bok choy, zucchini, tofu, broccoli, onions just to name a few. I love marinating veggies with teriyaki sauce and eating them with some brown rice

My fiber-ful cookies

This summer I decided to fill my schedule up even more & take a nutrition class. As one of our projects we had to make a dish featuring complementary proteins& I decided to make whole wheat oatmeal peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. These are full of protein! & a great sweet snack!
(everything in moderation)

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Chocolate chip cookies

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups butter
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
2 cups packed brown sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups quick cooking oats
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and peanut butter. Add the brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla; mix well.
Combine oats, chocolate chips, flour, baking soda, and salt; add to the creamed mixture and mix well.
Drop by the rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet. Flatten with fork. Bake for 8 -10 minutes or until done.

*( to keep them moist & chewy you have to slightly underbake these, they still cook when they come out of the oven so don't worry!)

cookie, cookie!

I love mrs.fields huge gooey valentines day cookies so I decided to bake some off for my friends&loved ones in pie tins

Giant M&M Cookie pie

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter (at room temp)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cup AP flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
Half bag of Valentine’s M&Ms

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Cream together the butter and sugars in a mixer. Add the eggs and vanilla, making sure to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl. Add the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder and mix on low until everything is incorporated.

Chill the dough in the refrigerate for 2 hours. Scoop out a 1 cup size of dough and roll it into a ball. Roll it around in some M&M’s and place in a 9 inch pie pan spread it around with your hands till it's a 1/2 in.thick. Bake for 15-17minutes until just slightly golden around the edges. Remove from oven and let rest in pie tin. Cool and cut . Enjoy!

FYI - the cookie might look undercooked but don't worry it'll continue to cook in the pan