BIZZY BAKES

This is a dessert week for the WwDH bakers.  We made  Chocolate, Banana, and Coconut Muffins.  I skipped the coconut because my grandchildren were visiting and they don't like coconut.  Instead, chocolate chips made a major difference to them. These were easy to make and my little granddaughter loves them.  She took one bite and gave a sigh of satisfaction.  The older grandkids enjoyed them as well. Check out the other Donna Hay members and  H earth and Soul Hop       Tuesday’s Table            What' d You Do  This Weekend               see their cupcakes.

No sugar on top of these I have been having fun with puff pastry.  It turns out looking presentable and it is delicious.  I asked last week's Shabbos guests if their kids wanted chocolate and marshmallow or chocolate and peanut butter.  Both were approved so I ended up making both being a good hostess. I could have used peanut butter in the puffs instead of the marshmallow and I am not sure which would have been better.  These were good and I could not eat just one.  Gooey Chocolate Pastry Puffs Ingredients: 1 package, frozen puff pastry 3/4 c. Nutella or other hazelnut chocolate spread 1 egg for egg wash  sugar water Method: Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly flour a board or counter top and lightly roll out the thawed pastry dough slightly. Divide according to lines on dough.  I used Pepperidge Farm.  Brush water on the edges.  On one half of the piece, spread about 1 tablespoon cho...

" PONDERABLE "We seem to be going through a period of nostalgia, and everyone seems to think yesterday was better than today. I don't think it was, and I would advise you not to wait ten years before admitting today was great. If you're hung up on nostalgia, pretend today is yesterday and just go out and have one heck of a time."  --- Art Buchwald" Have some chocolate. All from Bing Images

The idea for this recipe came from the latest Rachel Ray magazine which I altered.  The original recipe called for 10 eggs as starters so the amount was my first change.  I made a topping of sour cream and brown sugar which is not in the Rachel's recipe. I grew up, eating sour cream and bananas, topped with sugar and when I saw this recipe, I could taste that childhood favorite as if I was truly eating it.  This is something, I had completely forgotten about.  If asked what my favorites from the past were, I would not have come close to anything like this.  Actually, I don't like plain bananas although I do like them baked or cooked. Banana- Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding Ingredients: 3 small bananas, sliced 1 cup milk 4  eggs 2 ounces cream cheese 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 4- 6 ounces of challah, cubed 6 ounces chocolate chips 3 tablespoons sour cream 1/3 cup brown sugar Method:  Preheat ov...

I love to cook and bake with chocolate. I like to eat chocolate. I am the only one in the house that eats chocolate. Knowing this, hopefully, you understand that I don't dare make too much chocolate. When school starts, I bake for my class and then I can again open the door to chocolate. They don't leave a crumb for me to be concerned about. This pie is one of those that have layers of delicious ingredients. First a Mock Oreo pie crust. Then a cream cheese/whipped topping layer, then a bit of peanut butter and chocolate chips followed by the CHOCOLATE layer and some crumbs for the top. Fortunately, I have grandchildren coming for the weekend. I also have cookies and brownies.  Grandma's   prerogative ...... I use a cream filled cookie like  Oreos  but a different brand. For the sake of ease, I will call it Oreo, for this recipe. Oreo Pie Crust   2 1/2 cups Oreo or substitute cream filled cookie crumbs (Pulse in food processor) 3 tablespo...

I was disappointed with the look of my last chocolate cookie although it tasted great.  I decided to try another recipe for some of my grandchildren.  I made a chocolate truffle cookie and so far, I have only tasted one while it was warm.  It was unbelievable both texture wise and flavor. Chocolate Truffle Cookies (allrecipes.com) Ingredients: 4 (1 ounce) squares, unsweetened chocolate, chopped 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 6 tablespoons butter 3 eggs 1 cup white sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract  1/2 cup gluten-free flour mixture 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips Method: In the microwave, melt unsweetened chocolate, 1 cup of the chocolate chips, and the butter stirring occasionally until smooth.  Remove from heat and set aside to cool.  In a large bowl, whip eggs and sugar until...

We get a weekly magazine with some terrific recipes in it.  I fell for this fudge pie and even though mine does not look as good as the picture, it tastes as it good as I thought it would be.  The magazine is Whisk, the food segment of Ami magazine.  Cookie Dough Fudge Pie Ingredients: 1 graham cracker pie crust Cookie dough layer: 1/4 c. oil 1/4 c. brown sugar 2 Tbsp sugar 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 1 Tbsp milk or milk substitute 1/2 c. flour 1/3 c. mini chocolate chips Fudge layer: 1 c. oil 1 c. sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/4 tsp baking powder 2 eggs 1/2 c. flour 1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder  Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cookie dough layer. Using electric mixer, beat oil and sugars, add vanilla, milk and  flour until smooth.  Add chocolate chips and stir. Set aside (can use same bowl for fudge layer - no need to wash it first). Prepare fudge layer in the same bowl, beating oil and sugar. Add vanilla, baking powder and eggs...

There is something about flourless cookies and cakes that sets them apart from those with flour.  They are "gushier" without being wet.  They seem to have a stronger flavor, in this case , chocolate.  The photos from King Arthur's Flour, the source of the recipe, were fabulous and those photos are the reason, I made the cookies.  Mine are ugly but I would make them again in a minute.  If you like a strong chocolate flavor, these are the cookies for you. Flourless Fudge Cookies - adapted from King Arthur's Flour Ingredients: 2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon coffee powder, optional but good 1 cup cocoa powder, Dutch-process 3 large egg whites 2 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla extract Method: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line  two cookie sheets with parchment, and grease the parchment. Stir together all of the ingredients till smooth. Drop the soft, batter-like dough onto the prepared baking sheets in 1 1/...

This is baking time with the holidays upon us (Jewish).  I think first of the grandchildren and what they would like.  Chocolate usually is the first thought and it does always please. These cookies are filled with that wonderful ingredients and taste outrageously CHOCOLATE.  That spells Winner. The parents monitor the amount the kids eat. If you are a parent who are blessed with living parents, please let the kids indulge a bit with the grandma's and grandpops or in our case, the Bubbys and Zaidys. I am good and don't say a word but these are bonding moments and memories for the little ones and they mean the world to us. Outrageous Chocolate Cookies From Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (adapted) Ingredients 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped 4 tablespoons margarine 2/3 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 large eggs 3/4 cup (packed) light-brown sugar 1 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract 8 ounces chocolate c...

Chocolate Cream Mousse  ( this recipe is from Kraft Foods ) Ingredients: 3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate 3 ounces whipped cream cheese 1 teaspoon vanilla1 7 ounce jar of marshamallow fluff or creme 2 cups thawed  whipped topping Method: Microwave chocolate on high at 15 second intervals or until chocolate is completely melted when stirred.  Cool slightly. Beat cream cheese and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.  Add chocolate and marshmallow cream. Beat until well blended.  Gently stir in 2 cups of the whipped topping. Place in a serving bowl or in individual cups. If you want, top with additional whipped cream. Eat and enjoy. ****I froze this and it was even better.**** Linked to     Making Monday       Simple Supper Tuesday      Treasure Box Tuesday      ...

It is good that Alyce reminds us when Ina Fridays are upon us.  I love monthly challenges but at times, forget they are coming soon.  This is dessert month and since I am having chocolate lovers for guests, I decided I could indulge on this chocolate ganache cake.  When I selected it, I did not know it was the easiest recipe around.  Using chocolate syrup in a recipe make it a snap to put together. I did have a major problem with this recipe and it probably is because I used oil instead of butter.  It took forever to finish baking.  I must have put it back in the oven a half a dozen times.   The knife kept coming out wet.  After the original 45 minutes called for, most of the cake was a puddle of chocolate.  I bet that would have been delicious but I was after a cake so I patiently kept putting it back. It happens that I was baking oatmeal cookies, at the same time, and I had to be in the kitchen anyway.  Otherwise, I doubt that I...

One of the boys in my class is moving and tomorrow will be his last day in our school He is a wonderful child. He is behind the class academically but way ahead in social skills and maturity. He is a perfectionist and an organizer and shares his talents readily. Although learning is a challenge, I am happy to find an area where he can excel. Usually, he does not follow our curriculum and goes out for part of the afternoon. One day, he was there for Spelling. I was simply introducing the words and alerting the class to some of the tricky letter placements. I didn't think he was tuned in. The next day, he took a quiz on these words and knew them perfectly. Once I realized he could memorize information, I started expecting more from him and he began to learn the times tables. While he can do this kind of work, thinking skills are behind. The beauty is that he has been successful and we know that success breeds success. I am proud of this boy and all that he has accomplished. Tom...

The more at ease, I become with cooking, the more I venture out on my own and make my own recipes.  Although, I am surrounded my fabulous cookbooks which I continually pull out and recipes on the Internet, I end up making changes and feeling like the recipe is mine.  I usually give the credit for the inspiration of the recipe. This time was more difficult. I was in a hurry, (what's new?) and wanted to bake a birthday cake for my grandson. In looking for simple recipes, I came upon several chocolate syrup chocolate cakes. I printed up a few to find they were the same or close enough to the same. The minor differences did not seem to make any difference in the recipe. Who do I give the credit to? With this cake, I had a few but Paula Deen and Hershey's were the most famous names. I ended up with Paula Deen's, only because the paper with her recipe was on top of the Hershey sheet. The cake took forever to bake Paula said 25 - 30 minutes. Hershey said 35 - 40 and I s...

What is the best baked good to make for a new class?  My answer would have been chocolate chip cookies but I had little time before school and could not envision making enough cookies for the class in that time.  Second best would be chocolate chip cake.  This blog is brand new to me and I kind of stumbled over it looking for the simplest recipe, "in the world." Truthfully, I did not expect a lot from this cake.  It was too basic but it would go quickly and the ingredients were easy to come by.  I was surprised that it was very good.  I admit, I filled it with chocolate chips and that certainly made it delicious and I would make it again. Chocolate Chip Cake adapted from Chichos Kitchen Ingredients: 2 sticks butter or margarine, at room temperature 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 4 eggs, at room temperature 1 teaspoon baking powder a pinch of salt 1 bag (10 ounce) chocolate chips 2/3 cup sugar and cinnamon (1 teaspoon cinnamon) M...

It is Donna Hay time again and I selected this week's recipe, this interesting bread.  I have to be honest, I made this weeks ago and I have completely forgotten what it is like.  I hope, I can find the photos.  I hope the other bakers liked it.  I will learn NOT to be so organized. I hope this is the bread. banana, hazelnut and chocolate bread  (adapted) 125g butter, softened 1 cup  brown sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 eggs 2 cups mashed banana ½ cup  toasted hazelnuts, chopped 1 cup  chopped dark chocolate 1¾ cups  plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted 1 teaspoon baking powder, sifted 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ⅓ cup  maple syrup Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F). Place the butter, sugar and vanilla in an electric mixer and beat for 8–10 minutes or until pale and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Gradually add the eggs and beat well to combine. Add the banana, hazelnuts, cho...

 After Pesach, I was in a hurry to make something with real flour in it.  We had been happy with our Passover treats and certainly, they are as good as our gluten-free baked goods.  There is a nut cookie, I made that is better than most cookies, of any kind, we have eaten, over the years.  It was basically made from ground nuts.  I wanted to bake for my class.  I know, with the beautiful weather, sitting in class is a challenge.  I know, I would rather be outside in the fresh air and certainly ten year olds would rather be, playing ball I  found this recipe on Culinary Bric a Brac,   Barbara made it in the frying pan, she baked in and it was billed a one pan cookie.  I was more traditional and doubled her recipe and made it, in two 9 inch square pans. Square Chocolate Chip Cookies Ingredients: 8 tablespoons oil 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup light brown sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 egg 1 1/2 cups  flou...

There is something special about baked goods made without flour. I saw this recipe on Creative Kitchen , a blog that has not only many terrific recipes but also, interesting ideas. I made this recipe from that blog and I think, it has topped, all other chocolate cookies, at least for now. I am always looking for new favorites and it is going to take a lot to be better than this full flavored chocolate chewy cookie. Flourless Chocolate Brownie Cookies (adapted - the only change I made was to bake these for less time) Ingredients: 3 cups powdered sugar 2/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 3 large egg whites, at room temperature 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips Method: Preheat oven to 350.  Cover cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, mix together powdered sugar, cocoa powder and sea salt. Whisk in egg whites until just moistened.  Add in chocolate chips. Spoon thick fudgy batter onto cookie ...