Chocolate Peanut Butter Ribbon Dessert

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ribbon Dessert

I made some substitutions to the original recipe by using Splenda instead of sugar, lite whip cream, all natural peanut butter and Dutch Baking Chocolate for the middle layer....it was divine.

















Enjoy!!!

Chocolate Buttermilk Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Simply, delicious. I used the cocoa I bought in the Dominican Republic and also dressed these up a bit with some coconut on top of the frosting.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (from BakingBites.com)

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2-3 cups powdered sugar(I used 2)
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and beat, with an electric mixer, until frosting is creamy, 3-5 minutes. Add additional powdered sugar as needed to achieve a thick, but not stiff, frosting that is easy to spread. Add additional milk, if necessary, to thin the frosting if it gets too thick.

Chocolate Buttermilk Cupcakes (from MarthaStewart.com)
Makes 12

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-process
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 6 tablespoons buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg white

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard 12-cup muffin tin (or two 6-cup muffin tins) with paper liners. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. With an electric mixer, combine cocoa and 3 tablespoons hot water until a thick paste forms (this process intensifies the chocolate flavor). Add butter, buttermilk, egg, and egg white; beat until combined. Whisk in flour mixture until smooth.
3. Scoop (or spoon) batter into prepared tin(s). Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. Use an offset spatula or butter knife to spread icing over tops. Decorate as desired.

Enjoy!

Cornish Hens and Chocolate Granola (But not at the same time...)

This past weekend I made what I would call my best meal ever. Sadly, there was no time for pictures of the feast before Matt and I were gobbling it up. Basically, I made two cornish game hens (we only ate one) with dirty rice and fresh Farmer's Market squash, zucchini, carrots and onions. I used my new roaster oven and it took about an hour and a half to cook.

Delish!

There was tons of leftovers, I will be eating them up in the next few days!

So I was browsing food blogs this morning and came across Orangette, who posted a lovely entry about Paris and her love affair with the food there. I must admit that the baguettes, cheeses, and crepes in Paris were amazing...and something I would love to experience again. She posted a recipe for French Chocolate Granola, and I must try it! Probably will make this while I have the apartment to myself later on in the week....So anyways here goes if anyone would like to try this with me!


3 cups rolled oats
½ cup raw almonds, chopped
½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
6 Tbsp. mild honey
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
½ cup, or more, finely chopped bittersweet chocolate (Trader Joe’s bittersweet Pound Plus bar was her recommendation)

Preheat the oven to 300°F.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, almonds, coconut, sugar, and salt. Stir well to blend.

In a small saucepan, warm the honey and oil over low heat, whisking occasionally – watch out! the oil will want to splash - until the honey is loose. Pour over the dry ingredients, and stir to combine well.

Spread the mixture evenly on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden. Set a timer to go off halfway through the baking time, so that you can give the granola a good stir; this helps it to cook evenly. When it’s ready, remove the pan from the oven, stir well – this will keep it from cooling into a hard, solid sheet – and cool completely.

When cool, transfer the granola to a large bowl, storage jar, or zipper-lock plastic bag. Add the chocolate, and stir (or shake, if using a jar or bag) to mix.

Store in an airtight container. Serve with plain milk; soy milk and plain yogurt overwhelm the chocolate flavor.

Yield: about 5 cups