We’re making Chocolate Covered Cheerios today!  Why?  Because I wanted to and I think Cheerios covered in chocolate would taste great.

Let’s find out!

The ingredients are simple:  Cheerios and chocolate.  You can use chocolate chips or a chocolate bar, such as this chocolate from Trader Joe’s.

Melt chocolate, then dip each Cheerio in the chocolate until covered.  I found using a toothpick works great for removing it from the chocolate.  Gently tap the toothpick on the side of the bowl to remove the excess chocolate.

Place on wax or parchment paper, or even the Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat you see above.

If, like me, you find dipping each Cheerios tedious, try making Chocolate Covered Cheerios Clusters instead.

Simply add a handful or two of Cheerios to your melted chocolate, stir, then place in clusters on your covered cookie sheet.

Like this!

Chill for 15 minutes, or until set.  Even the bottoms turned out well!  I love my Silpat mats!

And there you have it – Chocolate Covered Cheerios or Chocolate Covered Cheerios Clusters!

These are surprisingly very good!  I tend to use dark chocolate when dipping since it sets up better.  These would make great snacks, in moderation, of course.  You’d just have to keep them in a cool place so they don’t melt!

As always, ENJOY! 

Print Recipe

Chocolate Covered Cheerios

Prep Time: 5

Total Time: 20

Ingredients:

Cheerios
Chocolate chips or a chocolate bar

The proportions will vary depending on how many chocolate covered Cheerios you want. I melted a few squares of chocolate for approx. 1 Cup of Cheerios. I suggest melting the chocolate and dipping Cheerios until you run out of chocolate! HA! :)

Directions:

Melt chocolate chips or a chocolate bar.

Dip each Cheerio one at a time or multiple Cherrios for making clusters.

Place on parchment or wax paper or a Silpat mat.

Chill until set, approx. 15 min.

I made Chocolate Covered Cheez-Its!  Yup, you read it right – Chocolate Covered Cheez-Its!  I know, I’m weird!  Haha!  But hey, who says Chocolate and Cheez-Its don’t go together anyway?

Trust me, they do!  And they’re so quick and easy to make too!  LOVE that!

Simply melt chocolate.  You can use chocolate chips or a chocolate bar, it doesn’t matter.

Hint:  I use dark chocolate when dipping items.  It’s healthier because it has less cocoa butter (fat) and because of this it doesn’t melt in your hands as quickly as milk or white chocolate does!

So, let’s make some Chocolate Covered Cheez-Its!

Place a Cheez-It in your melted chocolate, completely covering it in chocolate using a spoon.  Lift the Cheez-It from the chocolate.

I really like using Wilton’s Candy Dipping Set for most of my chocolate-dipping experiments – less chance for chocolate blobs under the dipped items because of the wide-spaced fork!

Place each chocolate-covered Cheez-It on parchment or wax paper, or even a Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat as seen above.  I LOVE my Silpat mats, by the way!  If you’re using a dipping tool, the trick is to set the edge of the Cheez-It that is furthest from the dipping handle onto the mat first.  Once the Cheez-It edge touches the surface, slide the dipping tool out from under the cracker as you lower the rest of it onto the surface.

Repeat until all Cheez-Its are covered in chocolate!

Chill in the refrigerator until set – approximately 10 min.

And there you have it – Chocolate Covered Cheez-Its!

A quick, easy and semi-healthy chocolate covered treat!  In moderation, of course!

Enjoy!

Print Recipe

Chocolate Covered Cheez-Its

Prep Time: 5

Total Time: 20

Ingredients:

Cheez-It crackers
Chocolate chips or a chocolate bar

The proportions will vary depending on how many chocolate covered crackers you want. I melted a handful or two of chocolate chips for approx. 15-20 Cheez-Its. I suggest melting chocolate and dipping Cheez-Its until you run out of chocolate! HA! :)

Directions:

Melt chocolate chips or a chocolate bar.

Dip each Cheez-It one at a time.

Place on parchment or wax paper or a Silpat mat.

Chill until set, approx. 10 min.

I’ve got another truffle recipe for you – Peanut Butter Pretzel Truffles!  Peanut butter, pretzels and chocolate, I say?  Yup!  I know, who would think to put pretzels in truffles, right?  Well, the people over at eatingwell.com did!

So let’s make some!

These are SO easy!  Mix together peanut butter and finely chopped pretzels.  Chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes or so.  Roll into teaspoon-sized dough balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.  Freeze for one hour or until completely firm.

One at a time, roll each peanut butter pretzel ball into melted Chocolate.  Using a fork or chocolate dipping tool, lift out the truffle and place onto the wax paper-lined cookie sheet.  After they’ve all been covered in Chocolate, allow the Chocolate to set by placing in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

And there you have it – Peanut Butter Pretzel Truffles!  See, I told you there were easy!  Simply delicious and the pretzels add a nice crunch!

As always, enjoy!

Print Recipe

RECIPE: Peanut Butter Pretzel Truffles

Yield: 20 truffles

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

1/2 cup crunchy natural peanut butter
1/4 cup finely chopped salted pretzels
1/2 cup milk chocolate, melted

Directions:

Mix peanut butter and pretzels in a small bowl.

Chill in the refrigerator for approximately 15 minutes, or until set.

Make dough balls - each about 1 teaspoon in size.

Please on a baking sheet lined with wax paper, parchment paper or Silpat mats. Freeze until very firm, approximately 1 hour.

Roll each frozen ball into the melted Chocolate chips.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes, or until the Chocolate is set.

http://www.eatingwell.com

Peanut butter, honey and chocolate chips.  Mix them together, and what do you get?  Peanut Butter Honey Chocolates Chip Bites.

These are so quick and easy to make it’s ridiculous!

Best of all, they’re healthy!!!  Yes!

OK, don’t blink now, because I told you, these are super quick and easy to make.  Just mix two parts peanut butter, one part honey and a handful of chocolate chips in a food chopper.

Blend until mixed well.  Blend a little longer and the chocolate chips turn the dough darker.  It’s your choice!

Spoon into a non-greased ice cube tray.  Place in the freezer until firm – approx. 1-2 hours depending on your freezer.

Remove from the ice cube tray as you would ice cubes.  You might have to hit the tray on the counter while it’s upside down if they’re stuck a little.  Otherwise, they came out fairly easy for me.

These are perfect for breakfast or even an afternoon or evening snack.  These take the edge off my hunger without filling me up since they’re high in protein and even a little bit of fiber.

After eating these for a few days, I’ve found that they hold up best when stored in a freezer bag in the freezer.  I also store the one I eat in the afternoon in a sandwich bag in the refrigerator at work and it held up just fine.

As always, enjoy!

Print Recipe

RECIPE: Peanut Butter Honey Chocolate Chip Bites

Prep Time: 10

Total Time: 10

Ingredients:

2 parts Peanut Butter
1 part Honey
Handful of Dark Chocolate Chips (substitute: Milk Chocolate Chips)

Directions:

Place 2 parts peanut butter, 1 part honey and a handful of dark chocolate chips in a food chopper.

Mix until thoroughly blended.

Spoon into non-greased ice cube tray. Freeze for 1-2 hours, depending on your freezer.

Remove from tray as you would ice cubes, hitting tray on counter to loosen if necessary.

Store in a freezer bag in the freezer or refrigerator.

I’ve found the perfect healthy Chocolate snack – Chocolate & Almond Butter Bites!  I had no idea how good almond butter was and when I paired it with these dark Chocolate squares, my eyes literally bugged out from my taste buds doing a happy dance.

I’m not kidding when I say this recipe is quick, easy, super delicious and oh so healthy for you.

The ingredients are simple – almonds (or pistachios or cashews, if you prefer), honey and Chocolate.

That is it!

Yay!

All you do is chop up your nuts of choice until they are finely ground.  Add honey.  Blend.  Done!

Seriously, this is so good!  I’m hooked!

As if the almond butter wasn’t enough in itself, I put it on some dark Chocolate squares!  YUM!!!

After all, Dark Chocolate is good for you, you know. (70% cocoa or higher is actually considered a health food!)

So are almonds.

And honey.

All in moderation, of course.

Enjoy!

Print Recipe

Chocolate & Almond Butter Bites

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 5

Total Time: 5

Ingredients:

8-1/4 oz. bittersweet chocolate squares
Approx. 25 almonds (or pistachios or cashews)
Honey - to taste

Directions:

Grind almonds in a food processor until crumb-like.

Add honey, to taste.

Place 1/2 tsp. of almond butter on top of each dark chocolate square.

79 Calories; 6 g Fat; 2 g Sat; 1 g Mono; 9 g Carbohydrates; 1 g Protein; 1 g Fiber; 12 mg Sodium; 20 mg Potassium

1/2 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 1/2 other carbohydrates, 1 Fat

eatingwell.com

Chocolate and peppermint are a fabulous combination!  So when I saw a recipe for Double Chocolate Peppermint Bark in my bon appetit desserts cookbook, I had to make it!

The recipe is simple.  Melt half of the white Chocolate in this recipe and pour it onto a lined cookie sheet.  Sprinkle with crushed peppermint candies.

Chill in the refrigerator until set – approx. 10-15 min.

Melt semi-sweet Chocolate chips with heavy whipping cream and mix well.  Pour over the white chocolate and crushed peppermints.

Chill until set.

Next, pour the remaining white chocolate as the final layer and add more crushed peppermint candies.

Chill for at least 30 minutes.

Once set, cut with a sharp knife into the desired shapes.

Time to eat!  Double Chocolate Peppermint Bark – absolutely D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!!!

I bet you can’t eat just one piece. 

Print Recipe

Double Chocolate Peppermint Bark

Yield: 36 pieces

Ingredients:

17 oz. white chocolate
30 peppermint candies, crushed
7 oz. bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate (chocolate chips or baking chocolate work!)
6 Tbps. heavy whipping cream
3/4 tps. peppermint extract

Directions:

Melt white Chocolate and pour it onto a lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle with crushed peppermint candies.

Chill in the refrigerator until set - approx. 10-15 min.

Melt semi-sweet Chocolate chips with heavy whipping cream and mix well. Pour over the white chocolate and crushed peppermints.

Chill until set.

Next, pour the remaining white chocolate as the final layer and add more crushed peppermint candies.

Chill for at least 30 minutes.

Once set, cut with a sharp knife into the desired shapes.

What do you get when you take Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Christmas cookie cutters?

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Christmas Chocolates!

Yup!  I grabbed a few Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.  Unwrapped them.  Microwaved them for 30 seconds.  Stirred.  Nuked for another 30 seconds and stirred and mashed up the Reese’s until the peanut butter and Chocolate were mixed well.

Then, using a spoon I poured the Reese’s into the cookie cutters.  The Chocolate wasn’t very runny since it had peanut butter in it, but I managed to get it in there.

I have to admit the only two that didn’t break when removed from the cookie cutters were the Christmas tree and bell above.  The simpler the lines the better.  Also, don’t skimp on the Chocolate.  It breaks when it’s poured too thin.

These would be great for setting next to a scoop (or two!) of ice cream, don’t you think?

Christmas and Chocolates.  Peppermint and Cinnamon Candies.  It’s that time of year to celebrate with these super quick and easy Christmas Chocolates with peppermint and cinnamon candies!

I’m not kidding when I say these Christmas Chocolates are quick and easy.  I’m talking maybe 15 minutes if you already have the ingredients.  And most of that time is used to chill the Chocolate.

Easy peasy!

Speaking of ingredients, the first ingredient you need is Chocolate.  Sorry, that’s a given on here, isn’t it?  My bad!  Anyway, you can use any kind of Chocolate you want – Chocolate chips, Hershey’s Kisses, a Chocolate bar, baking Chocolate squares.  Shoot, you can even use white Chocolate if you want.  It’s up to you!

Next, melt the Chocolate and pour into a Chocolate mold such as the peanut butter cup one above.  I apologize that the mold is hard to see.  Dang indoor lighting!  Anyway, I just picked this one up at Michael’s Crafts.  Wally World (Wal-Mart) probably has them too.

Sprinkle crushed peppermint and cinnamon candies on top, making sure to push them into the Chocolate a bit so they stay in place.  To crush the candies, I just put the whole candies in a Ziploc sandwich bag and broke them up with a hammer.  It’s always satisfying to whack stuff up now and then.  Haha!

Voila, crushed candies!

Set in the refrigerator for 10 minutes, or until firm, then pop them out onto a serving dish.

Done!  I told you these were quick and easy!

Christmas Chocolate with peppermint and cinnamon candies.  You’re family and friends will be impressed with your creative talents.  Your mouth will be satisfied with the delicious blend of Chocolate and candies.

As always, enjoy!

I vividly remember the trips to the store with my dad and brother in which we were allowed to pick a treat or two.  My dad was a generous man, so most times we were allowed to pick two treats. Without hesitation, I always went for – no, grabbed – the Hostess® cupcakes!  Yum!  OK, OK, I occasionally went for a Twinkie now and then too.  But oh my gosh, the moist Chocolaty cupcake, cream filling and thick Chocolaty frosting with the cute and distinctive white frosting swirls.  Everything about it was pure perfection!  They were so perfect that I bet my bottom dollar they never made it home. Instead, I wolfed them down in the store parking lot like my life depended on them.  Ha ha!

Ah, what memories.  I truly cherish those times.

You know what?  Hostess® Cakes are still perfect.  In fact, all this talk about them is making me want some right now!

OK, I’m not totally lacking in the Hostess department.  In fact, the other day I just happened to pick up a bag (or two!) of Hostess® Cakes new Frosted Devil’s Food Mini Donuts.  I had to give them a try.  They were actually calling out to me from the store shelf, “Laura, buy us!  You know you want our Chocolaty goodness… NOW!”

So I picked up a couple bags and headed home.

I know, it was a tough job, but somebody had to do it.  (wink, wink!)

I swear this next part is true.  When my daughter and one of her friends happened to eyeball the Frosted Devil’s Food Donettes®, they started flipping out!

My daughter asked, “Mom, can we please eat those Hostess Donettes®?”

As you can tell from the photos above, they got their wish.  Even my husband snagged two or three, or four of them.  Or was it five?  It wasn’t 20 minutes later and the four of us had nearly eaten both bags!  Less than two hours later they completely gone!

Needless to say, they’re fantastic!  Uber-Chocolaty!  Moist!  Chocolaty! Delicious!  Oh, and did I mention Chocolaty?  Sooo good!!!

Oh, and did you know they taste even better if you freeze them for 5 minutes or so?  Now that’s perfection!   I highly recommend you pick yourself up a bag or two of Hostess’s new Frosted Devil’s Food Mini Donuts and see how long you can make them last.

Hostess® Cakes is even offering the following Visa card giveaway that could be used towards the purchase of any or all the Hostess® Cake treats you want.

Giveaway:

One lucky winner will win a $50 VISA Gift card.

Disclaimer: This is a compensated promotion.  As always, opinions expressed are my own.  ONE winner will be chosen randomly on Sunday, December 18th at 6PM PST (Closing date extended).  Hostess will contact the winner via email.

Chocolate Gingerbread Men!  Yes, I made Chocolate Gingerbread Men!  After all, Christmas isn’t complete without these cute little guys now is it?  While I make gingerbread men every Christmas, this year I decided to kick it up a notch and make them with Chocolate.

OK, I have to share with you another reason I decided to make these cookies – I recently signed up for the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap by hosts Lindsay at Love & Olive Oil and Julie at The Little Kitchen.

The concept – sign up, get assigned to three other bloggers to swap cookies with, bake one type of cookie, ship a dozen to each and wait to receive cookies from your matches.

Want to know the cool part of the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap?  624 bloggers signed up!  WOW!!!  Let’s see 624 bloggers X three dozen cookies… 624 X 36… that’s 22,464 cookies!  There were even some international bloggers in the bunch, including some in Australia!

Wow, cookies shipping all over the U.S. and overseas.  Awesome sauce!

So I baked up my little Chocolate Gingerbread Men, decorated them and packed them up in cute little boxes for their journey to bloggers in Iowa, Hawaii and even right here by me in Seattle.

MAJOR FUN!

So far I’ve received cookies from two of my Great Food Blogger Cookies Swap partners.  Diana at A Girl, A Dog, An Oven made some awesome Chocolate Peppermint Kisses that I have got to get the recipe for! Amazingly addictive! Excellent job, Diana! And Ashton at Something Swanky made these equally addicting Candy Cane Kiss Shortbread Cookies.  YUM!!!!  Thank you VERY much, Diana and Ashton.  SUPER delicious cookies you sent me!

I’m so ready for next year’s Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap already!  Yum, yum!

Oh, before I forget, be sure to check out The Little Kitchen and Love and Olive Oil on Thursday for a complete list of all of the cookies baked as a part of the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap.

Print Recipe

Chocolate Gingerbread Men

Yield: 24

Prep Time: 25

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 50

Ingredients:

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sifted cocoa podwer
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2/3 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 large egg, room temperature
3/4 cup molasses
1/8 cup red-hot candies, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Grease several large baking sheets with shortening and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder and cloves until spices and cocoa are until mixed well. Set aside.

In a separate large bowl, cream shortening and brown sugar until smooth fluffy - approximately 1 minute.

Beat in egg, then the molasses.

Turn off mixer and add prepared flour mixture. Reduce mixer speed to LOW and beat until crumbly bits of dough form.

Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead just until it forms a smooth mass - approximately 30 seconds.

Divide into thirds and roll one of the thirds to a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Flour the dough and a rolling pin only as needed.

Use a gingerbread man cookie cutter to cut out the shapes.

Decorate the cookies with the raisins and/or red hots, if desired.

Bake for 4 minutes, then rotate sheets top to bottom & front to back.

Bake another 4 minutes, or until cookies feel dry but still are a little soft.

Remove from oven & cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes before transferring the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Cool the baking sheets for 5 more minutes, then regrease them before baking additional batches, as necessary, OR work with 2 additional baking sheets, preparing them while the others are in the oven.

http://www.food.com/recipe/chocolate-gingerbread-men-334306