Microwave Puppy Chow

Puppy chow, monkey munch, muddy buddies.  In case you have no idea what I'm talking about, puppy chow is a dessert made from peanut butter, chocolate and cereal. I thought puppy chow is the kind which uses Crispix cereal and monkey munch uses Chex, but then once I get to muddy buddies, I'm not sure there actually is a difference in the cereal you have to use. Call it what you like, just make sure it's delicious.

One of my mom's favorite treats is puppy chow (puppies > monkeys or buddies, whatever those are). Ever the chocolate and peanut butter lover, this has become one of my favorites, too. While it is fairly simple to make on the stovetop, sometimes I just want to make a single (still pretty big) serving for myself and make it quickly. Microwaves are so convenient, no?

Microwave Puppy Chow

makes one medium bowl all for yourself

or you can share. i guess.

1 tablespoon butter

3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter

dash of vanilla

1/4 cup cocoa powder

2 cups cereal*

1 cup powdered sugar

*I used Cheerios for this batch because it's the kind I had on hand, but I personally think Crispix or some cross-hatched cereal is best: it has hollows to keep extra melty chocolate peanut butter trapped inside. :)

In a microwave safe breakfast cereal-sized bowl, heat butter and peanut butter for about 30 seconds or until melted; do NOT overcook! Once out of the microwave, add vanilla and give it a quick stir to make sure everything is incorporated. Next add the cocoa powder, making sure to get out any small clumps of powder. You should have a really delicious and melty looking mixture, but it won't taste very sweet yet.

To this mix, add your cereal and mix until the cereal is completely coated, with no excess of melted chocolate or sad, undercoated cereal. Finally, add the powdered sugar and stir. I did this in two batches because I was stirring it in the bowl and wanted to minimize mess. You can add more or less powdered sugar depending on how sugary or chocolatey you want your puppy chow to be.

At this point, I think we've got ourselves all set up for a good Netflix night, but if you want to add peanuts or M&Ms, that would be a pretty swell idea. I'd advise adding any other ingredients before the powdered sugar so they stay stuck to the rest of the mixture. We don't need candy falling all over the place.

Enjoy!

Read More

Shrove Tuesday Pancake

Shrove Tuesday. Fat Tuesday. Mardi Gras. This day has so many names. But my most favorite name for the day is Pancake Day. Whence all the names? Time for a history lesson:

This Tuesday is always celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday. Back in the day (like centuries back, not decades), Lenten sacrifices went some steps further than abstaining from chocolate (except for those times that, "Oops. I forgot it's Lent. Oh well, I might as well finish this chocolate bar, right?" happened). Eggs and dairy products were completely taken out of the faithfuls' diets. Eating food like pancakes, which tend to call for such ingredients, would use up the last of these indulgent foods before the penitential season began. Such abstinence is also the reason eggs are so popular at Easter time: people were celebrating finally adding dairy and eggs back into their kitchens and I'm-sick-of-being-vegan bellies.

As last year, I wanted to celebrate with some tasty pancakes. Lenten suffering must have been out to get me early, because I dropped and shattered the jar of Jif's chocolate hazelnut spread. Oof. I was able to (painstakingly) salvage about half of it..

To be fair, I'm incredibly clumsy.

Here's my tasty pancake breakfast inspired by and adapted from Joy the Baker's Single Lady Pancake recipe.

This is not a pretty, so much as a delicious, pancake.

Shrove Tuesday Pancake
(makes 1 large pancake)

1/3 cup whole wheat flour

2 Tablespoons whole oats

1 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of salt

1 Tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1/4 cup milk

dash of vanilla extract

handful of pecans

handful of dried cranberries

swirl of honey

tablespoon of chocolate hazelnut spread

Preheat a medium sized skillet on the stove top and add your handful of pecans to get them toasting, swirling the pan every so often so they don't burn.

In medium bowl, mix flour, oats, baking powder and salt together. In separate bowl, mix 1 T oil, milk and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture. Now add about half the pecans and half the cranberries to the batter and stir until it just combines. The mixture will be thick. (If you like thinner pancakes, add a couple tablespoons of milk. I wanted a thick and fluffy pancake so the batter was just fine for me.)

Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil to the pan and pour the batter into the pan. Cook on each side for 2-3 minutes, whenever the pancake has browned to your desires.

Once the pancake is cooked, flop it out onto your plate and dress it up with the remaining pecans and cranberries, a swirl of honey and a nice dollop of (glass-free) chocolate hazelnut spread.


Then enjoy it because this is your last hefty dose of sugar before Lent begins. Muahaha. ;)

Read More

Chocolate Chai: Super Cozy & Comforting

This Winter has been insane: lots of wind, lots of snow and some travel during it all. It's the kind of frigid onslaught that makes one just want to stay inside all day with blankets and books. I have been doing plenty of cozy reading, but I find nothing more comforting on a cold night than a nice hot beverage. While fluffy snowfall continues with no end in sight, I party it up in the kitchen with two of my favorite flavors: chocolate and chai. This drink is a delicious combination of hot chocolate and chai tea. It feels super indulgent to drink and makes the poor weather seem not-so-bad (but really: when is Spring coming?).

 Chocolate Chai

serves 1, but can easily be multiplied

1 c milk*

1 1/2 T cocoa powder

2 t honey**

1 t vanilla extract

1 chai tea bag

*whole milk is delightfully creamy, but almond milk is also good
**honey is my favorite sweetener; you can use a different kind and adjust the amount to taste

Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in cocoa powder and honey, combining completely. Whisk every so often, scraping sides and bottom of pan, until milk is steaming and feels a little warmer than the temperature at which you'd like to drink your beverage. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.

Place a chai tea bag in your favorite mug. Use a ladle or very carefully pour the hot milk mixture into your cup. Steep tea for 2-3 minutes then remove, squeezing out as much flavor from the bag as you can.

From this point you can add a sprinkle of cinnamon or, if you want an extra treat, some whipped cream. It's totally tasty on its own, though. Plus, this cute owl mug is a good addition.

Read More

Candy-coated Chocolate-covered Sunflower Seed + Oatmeal Cookies

One thing I enjoy probably as much as baking is traveling. In the last year and a half I've made my way through a decent number of East coast cities—Philadelphia, New York and Boston to name a few—and am often planning out my next adventures: the West coast, the South, Italy, France, England.... Even a small trip to Chicago accelerates my pulse, which is where the inspiration and possibility of these cookies enter.

A few suburbs out of the city, I stayed with a friend, C. She and I have been friends for years, having gone to grade school together. After a truly delicious breakfast at Egg'lectic Cafe (get the blueberry granola pancakes with raspberry sauce; the sauce is essential and oh so good), we did some shopping at Target and Trader Joe's. It was my first Trader Joe's outing and I was internally going through posts from other bloggers about their favorite things to purchase. Right as I was turning to leave, my eye caught a brightly colored plastic container. Candy coated chocolate covered sunflower seeds. They had to be mine.

While perfectly delicious on their own, I wanted to throw these happy seeds into a baking project. Cookies seemed the most logical choice, so I got to work combining the totally healthy seeds with totally healthy oatmeal. These guys are a healthy breakfast snack, basically.

These cookies are slightly chewy and studded with pastel colored seeds for a little hidden surprise. I found myself eating three in under two minutes, so make sure to share these with friends. Or get ready to eat breakfast all day long. There's no shame in that.

Candy Coated Chocolate Covered Sunflower Seed + Oatmeal Cookies
Makes 1 1/2 dozen.

6 tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour

1 cup oats

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup candy coated chocolate covered sunflower seeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking pan.
Blend butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Add egg an vanilla and mix until incorporated. In separate bowl whisk together flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Slowly incorporate dry ingredients into wet batter. Stir in sunflower seeds.
Roll out walnut sized balls of dough and place onto baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cookies cool on cooling rack.

Read More

Neapolitan Birthday Cake

For my first birthday away from home (I recently finished my second year of college) I decided to take matters into my own hands where my birthday cake was concerned. If I didn't make it, who would? I spent a few weeks shuffling through my bookmarked recipes—of which I may have too many—and finally asked, "Why do I have to choose one flavor of cake? Why can't I have...three?" Enter Neapolitan, stage left.

My kitchen routinely looks like this, except with three (or four or five) times the mess, while I'm baking. I am not a neat baker: flour is dusted across the counters, possibly in puffy pockets on the floor, possibly under my nails, possibly in my hair...no big deal.

This cake on the other hand...definitely a big deal.

Check out that pink! Strawberry Jell-O and strawberry puree make this batter bright pink and out-of-this-world delicious. I likely could have eaten the batter straight without letting it anywhere near the oven. 

By the way, this cake has six layers. Two strawberry, two chocolate, two vanilla. Did I not mention that? Yeah... It looks like a beast of a cake, but it isn't. Well, it is. But it bakes up quicker than you think and is gorgeous when cut into. Totally worth the work.

Some advice? Clean as you go. Mix, bake, do some dishes, get that flour out of your hair, repeat. Then your kitchen's clean and you can relax with a big slice of "Welcome to your 20s."

Six-Layer Neapolitan Birthday Cake with Pink Frosting

For Strawberry Cake:

From Sweetapolita

2 cups granulated sugar

1 3oz package strawberry Jell-O

1 cup butter, softened

4 eggs, room temperature

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup whole milk, room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup strawberry puree (blend frozen strawberries with 1 tablespoon sugar)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two 8" pans with butter (or spray) and flour.

Whisk flour and baking powder together in medium bowl.

In large bowl cream butter, sugar and strawberry Jell-O powder until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well. Alternate additions of dry ingredients with additions of milk and vanilla, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Blend in strawberry puree.

Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 25 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pans for 20 minutes before removing onto wire rack to continue cooling.

For Vanilla Cake:

Adapted from Sweetapolita

1/3 cup butter

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup ice water

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 egg whites

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two 8" pans with butter (or spray) and flour.

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

In separate medium bowl whisk together dry ingredients.

In large bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Alternate additions of dry ingredients with additions of ice water and vanilla, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Fold in egg whites with spoon or rubber spatula.

Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 30 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pans for 15 minutes before removing onto wire rack to continue cooling.

For Chocolate Cake:

From Joy the Baker

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup oil

2 teaspoons white vinegar

2 cups cold water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two 8" pans with butter (or spray) and flour.

In medium bowl whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.

In large bowl blend vanilla, oil, vinegar and water. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet, mixing until just combined. Batter will be thin.

Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 25 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pans for 20 minutes before removing onto wire rack to continue cooling.

For Frosting:

From Sweetapolita

1 1/4 cup butter, softened

8 cups powdered sugar

120 ml whipping cream

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon water

pinch salt

1/4 teaspoon rose icing color (I used Wilton)

In stand mixer blend butter and powdered sugar until fully incorporated. Add vanilla, water, whipping cream and salt until smooth. Add color until fully blended. If necessary, add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, to adjust consistency. Makes enough to frost a monstrous 6 layer 8" cake.

For Assembly:

Assemble on cake stand or other flat surface (eg. cookie sheet) covered in sheet of aluminum foil for easy clean up later. Stack layers in alternating flavors for best aesthetic appeal. Between layers, frost with frosting or spread extra strawberry puree. I figured the cake would be sweet enough without extra frosting, so I simply stacked cake upon cake. This is a personal preference which I think worked very well for myself. Wrap or cover cake well and refrigerate 1 hour.
When frosting, begin at bottoms of sides and work way up. When finished frosting, rinse and lightly dry frosting spatula and sweep over sides and top of cake. This will create a smooth and neat finish.

Tips + Tricks:

Bake layers of cake a day or days ahead. Simply bake, wrap well in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze. Take out to defrost a couple hours before assembly.

If you don't have a cooling rack (I don't always have access to one), do NOT remove warm cake from pan onto a plate or other surface, as it will stick. Instead remove to a piece of plastic wrap which will not stick. This will also help when later assembling cake.

I wanted to leave the cake simple to allow the striking flavors and colors to be the focal point of the cake. However, feel free to further decorate cake with sprinkles, icing borders, candles, the works. It's your birthday: go wild. :)

Read More

Peanut Butter Banana Bundt Cake with Chocolate Glaze

Welcome!

After years of ardently following lovely baking blogs, I have decided to jump in for myself. What better way to do so than with a recipe adapted from one of my favorite bloggers, Joy the Baker?

Joy's was one of the first blogs I ever saw back in the Spring of 2010. Her witty writing and mouth-watering photos have kept me hooked ever since. When she came out with her first book in February 2012, I knew I had to pick it up. It is full of humor and wonderfully comforting recipes, including several delectable cakes. I combined Joy's skill with my favorite food, peanut butter, to bring you this:

This cake has a soft and smooth texture inside, a buttery and nutty crispness on the outside from the brown sugar and is full of the decadent triple threat of peanut butter, banana and chocolate.

Peanut butter-y, banana-y, chocolate-y goodness.

Peanut Butter Banana Bundt Cake with Chocolate Glaze

Adapted from Joy the Baker's Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Cinnamon Glaze

The Cake:

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup oil

1/4 cup buttermilk*

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups bananas, mashed

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

4 large eggs

The Glaze:

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

3 tablespoons milk or cream

*Buttermilk can be made by adding 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to a 1 cup measuring cup and filling the rest with milk to make 1 cup of buttermilk. To make 1/4 cup for this recipe, simply cut the measurements by 1/4 (1/4 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice and milk to fill a 1/4 measuring cup).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare bundt pan with butter (or cooking spray) and flour.

In large bowl, sift and whisk together granulated sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In separate bowl or stand mixer, blend together brown sugar, oil, buttermilk, vanilla extract, mashed bananas and peanut butter. When well mixed, add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.

Add dry ingredients to wet and use rubber spatula to fold ingredients together. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl to fully incorporate dry ingredients (you don't want any pockets of flour in your finished cake!).

Pour mixture into prepared bundt pan. Tap pan on the counter to release any air trapped in the batter. Bake approximately 1 hour; when time gets close, test using a toothpick, which should come out clean. Allow cake to rest in pan for 30 minutes before removing. To remove, place plate or serving platter atop the bottom of bundt pan and flip so plate is on bottom. Say a prayer and gently lift pan off of cake.

When cake is completely cool, make the glaze. In a small saucepan, heat chocolate chips and milk or cream. Stir continuously, being careful to avoid burning by removing from heat when mixture just comes together.  The glaze will be thick, but spreadable. Pour liberally onto cake.

Slice. Serve. Smile.

Read More