Raspberries + Dark Chocolate Chips =  Super delicious dessert (or snack!)

I highly recommend you splurge on some raspberries and try this ASAP!

Super healthy and delicious.

Need I say more?

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RECIPE: Raspberry & Chocolate Chip Dessert

Ingredients:

Raspberries
Dark Chocolate Chips (Milk or White Chocolate Chips too!)

Directions:

Insert chocolate chips into each raspberry.

Serve immediately. Great as an ice cream topping too!

As always, enjoy! :)

Chocolate Covered Spoons!  I’d never heard of these until a co-worker recently brought them into the office.  I instantly thought, “How clever!”, then ate the chocolate clean off the spoon.  Who doesn’t like to lick the chocolate off a spoon, right?

Major yum!

All you need is plastic spoons (you can get really creative with gold, clear or even black spoons), chocolate chips or a chocolate bar and some goodies to decorate you spoons if you want.

Melt a bit of chocolate, then dip your spoon in to fill it up.  If you prefer less chocolate (WHAT, who would ever consider such a thing?), you can just dip your spoon in to coat it and let the excess drip off.

Set your chocolate covered spoon on a flat, clean surface.  If you’re going to make a lot of these, I would suggest putting them all on a lined cookie sheet for easy transfer to the refrigerator for chilling.

If you want, you can decorate your chocolate covered spoons.  As always, the possibilities are ENDLESS, such as these marshmallow pieces I cut up.

Once your spoons are decorated, place in the refrigerator until set – approx. 10-15 minutes.

Aren’t they pretty?   Left-to-right – Milk Chocolate Peppermint & Marshmallow, Milk and White Chocolate and Milk Chocolate with Sprinkles!

And now the fun part – eating them!  So perfect for hot chocolate or coffee.  To say these are quick and easy to make is a major understate.  So fun too!  Great kids project and these make great gifts.  Just wrap each in plastic wrap and tie with a ribbon for an instant gift for the chocoholic in your life!

As always, enjoy! 

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RECIPE: Chocolate Covered Spoons

Ingredients:

Chocolate (chocolate chips or chocolate bars)
Spoons
Assorted toppings (marshmallows, peppermints, sprinkles, chocolate chips, you name it!)

Directions:

Melt chocolate in a small bowl.

Dip each spoon in the melted chocolate to either cover or fill the spoon.

Add toppings (optional)

Chill for 10-15 minutes, or until set.

Enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Chip Trail Mix.

So easy to make.

So tasty.

And so healthy!

This is one of the best trail mix recipes I’ve ever had.  It’s high in protein and fiber, yet satisfies your sweet tooth with a bit of antioxidant-rich dark chcolate chips!  My husband and I discovered this trail mix (it was actually a cereal when we had it) when we stayed at a hotel at Cannon Beach, OR.  It didn’t have the chocolate chips in it though.  But you know me, I had to kick it up a notch – Emeril Lagasse-style!  Ha ha! 

All you need is granola (I bought mine in the bulk foods dept. at my local grocery store), almonds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, dried cherries (or other dried fruit) and dark chocolate chips.

Chop up the almonds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds and dried cherries into the desired size.  I chopped mine until they were small pieces, but not finely ground.  I want to eat it with my fingers, not a spoon! 

Combine all the ingredients and mix thoroughly.

That’s it.  You’re done.

Store in an airtight container for several weeks.  As I mentioned above, you can eat this as a cereal too!  Either way, it’s absolutely delicious!  Very filling and satisfying.  Even my 12-year-old daughter like it.    My only caution on eating a trail mix combination like this is to eat it sparingly.  It’s a pretty dense snack or meal – really packed with high protein and fiber, but also fat (although good fats) from the nuts.  I try to eat only 3/4 of a cup at a time, but that’s just me.

Super yummy Dark Chocolate Trail Mix!  Try it!

As always, enjoy!

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RECIPE: Dark Chocolate Chip Trail Mix

Ingredients:

Granola (can find in the bulk foods dept.)
Almonds
Pumpkin seeds
Flax seeds
Dried cherries
Dark chocolate chips

The granola will be the bulk of this trail mix, making up 3/4 of the mix. The proportions of the remaining ingredients will be based on what you prefer more or less of.

Directions:

In a large bowl, add granola.

Chop almonds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds and dried cherries into small pieces, but not finely chopped. Add to the bowl.

Add the dark chocolate chips. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly.

Store in an airtight container until ready to eat.

Quick and easy – that’s what this Chocolate Drizzle recipe is all about!  After all, I want to spend my time drizzling (and eating), not making the drizzle!  Ha ha!

And there are so many things to drizzle chocolate on or in!

Best of all, it tastes great too!

The ingredients – chocolate chips and shortening.  That’s it!

HA!  Gotta love that!

All you do is melt chocolate chips.

Add shortening while the chocolate is still warm.

Stir.

Done.

Told ya – super easy!

Time to drizzle!  The possibilities are endless.  Drizzle on cookies like the ones you see above.  Or even on these pretty cookies!

Chocolate drizzle can even be used for dipping!

Again, the possibilities are endless!

Happy Chocolate Drizzling!

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RECIPE: {Easy} Chocolate Drizzle

Ingredients:

1 cup (6 oz.) chocolate chips
1 tbsp shortening

Directions:

Melt chocolate chips in 30 second increments until melted. (Be careful not to overheat!)

Add shortening while the chocolate is still warm.

Stir.

Drizzle!

Gluten-Free Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies! 

Never had them.

Had to try them!

So easy to make!

Just like making any ‘ol regular chocolate chip cookie recipe.

EXCEPT, I had to use gluten-free oat flour and gluten-free rolled oats in place of regular flour and rolled oats.

Interesting!

Pretty little gluten-free chocolate, chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, don’t cha think?!  Haha!  Yummy-looking!

So how were they, right?

Well, having never eaten or baked anything gluten-free, I have to honestly say these were a bit dry for me.  My husband instantly said the same thing.

BUT, you know what?  We couldn’t stop eating them!   Yes, they may be drier than your traditional fat-laden chocolate chip cookie, but the chocolate flavor is there and they are NOT so dry that they crumble in your hands.  Besides, just dunk them in some milk to “moisturize” them a bit, if you see fit!  Haha!

So, if you’re on a gluten-free diet, I say these are a winner in my recipe book!

As always, enjoy! 

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RECIPE: Gluten-Free Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 eggs
2-1/2 cups oat flour (I used Bob's Red Mill gluten-free oat flour)
1/4 cup dark cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups rolled oats (I used Bob's Red Mill gluten-free rolled oats)
1-1/4 cups dark chocolate chips
3/4 cup pecans, chopped (optional)

Directions:

Mix the first four ingredients in a large bowl or mixer.

Add the eggs, mixing thoroughly.

Add the oat flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda and mix well.

Stir in the rolled oats. Mix well.

Throw in the chocolate chips and pecans (optional) and thoroughly mix.

Make 1" rolled dough balls (or use a cookie scoop) and place on a lightly greased baking sheet.

Bake for 9 or 10 minutes at 340* F.

Enjoy! :)

The Chocolate Therapist

I love quick and easy recipes that satisfy my chocolate cravings.  Love them!  These No-Bake Peanut Butter Squares are just that recipe.

Between working full-time out of the home and commuting 40 miles each day, I have very little time for “recreational” baking.  So whenever I stumble upon a recipe that lets me combine peanut butter and chocolate without baking, I’m so there!  I have to thank my former co-worker, Kathy, for sharing this super addicting No-Bake Peanut Butter Squares recipe.  It’s AWESOME!!!

As always, enjoy, and don’t blame me if you can’t stop eating them!  HA! 

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Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 5

Total Time: 35

Ingredients:

1 Cup (2 sticks) melted butter
1-1/2 Cups peanut butter
3-1/2 Cups powdered sugar
1-3/4 Cups finely chopped graham crackers
12 oz. bag of chocolate chips, melted

Directions:

Combine the first four ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Press mixture into a 13" x 9" ungreased pan.

Pour melted chocolate chips over the mixture and spread evenly.

Chill in the refrigerator for approx. 20 min. or until the chocolate has hardened slightly, but not completely to allow for easier cutting.

Cut into squares.

Enjoy! :)

Silpat Baking Mats.  I’d never heard of them until my a friend, Candy, a culinary student and blogger at Serendipity Mommy, recently told me – upon hearing my complaints of burned cookies and heavily-stained cookie sheets – how great they are for baking and working with chocolate.

Chocolate?  Did she say chocolate?  Oh, wow… I definitely had to try these Silpat baking mats after hearing that!

You see, being a culinary student definitely has its perks – Candy gets to make tasty food and try awesome kitchen items.  So when she recommended the Silpat mats, I listened!

Slipat mats…

Silpat mats…

It was all I could think of until the weekend when I could finally get to the store to buy them.  (One of the cons of working all week and being too exhausted to venture out to the stores after work.  Har har!) And those that know me, know I can’t stand shopping and rarely get excited about buying anything.  But this was different.  Hello?  Working with chocolate…  baking… DUH!

As you can see from my pictures, I finally bought my Silpat mats!  Yay! 

Candy is right – Silpat mats are great for working with chocolate. My Chocolate Covered Cheerios turned out fantastic – smooth on the bottom and, best of all, lifted perfectly off the mat.

I’ve even used the mats for a few batches of cookies and truffles.

And they clean up so quickly and easily – wipe, rinse..

and pat with a towel, or just let them air dry.  That’s it!

Silpat mats are awesome!  Like Candy, I highly recommend them to all you bakers out there for the very reasons below:

• Non-stick surface – no cooking spray is needed!
• Bake up to 480*F
• Freezer-friendly
• Microwave-friendly
• FDA-approved and NSF® and Kosher certified
• Chef-approved (Candy said they use them in their classes!)
• Reusable up to two to three thousand times, depending on maintenance and care

I bought my mats at Macy’s (hence the Martha Stewart logo), but if I didn’t have ants in my pants at the time of purchase, I would have bought them through Amazon.  Who doesn’t love Amazon, right?

Have a great day and Happy Chocolate (and baking) Trails… to YOU!!! 

I love truffles as much as the next chocoholic.  Biting into one is always a little adventure in itself – what will it taste like?

I decided to experiment the other day and make a healthy truffle which I named Peanut Butter Grape-Nuts Truffles.

They turned out great!  Not overly sweet, yet enough flavor to satisfy a sweet tooth and those who like a crunchy texture.  Heck, even my 12-year-old daughter and her friend liked them! YAY!

I love it when a recipe I created up on a whim is a success! 

To say these are incredibly easy is an understatement!

I just put all the ingredients into my little KitchenAid chopper, pressed the chop and puree buttons until it was all mixed up really well.

Then I made them in 1″ dough balls with my cookie dough scoop and placed them on a cookie sheet.  To prevent sticking to the pan, I suggest using parchment paper or a Silpat mat like I’m using above.

Freeze until very firm – anywhere between a few hours or overnight.

After the dough balls have set, dip in melted chocolate.  Dark chocolate works best since it has less cocoa butter, therefore setting firmer than milk chocolate.  Plus, as you know, dark chocolate is much healthier!

Chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes or until chocolate has set.

That’s it!

Ta-da – Peanut Butter Grape-Nuts Truffles!  A very healthy alternative to the traditional truffles which have all kinds of harmful fats in them.

As always, enjoy! 

Print Recipe

Peanut Butter Grape-Nuts Truffles

Yield: 24

Ingredients:

1 Cup peanut butter (I use Adam's crunchy)
1/2 Cup chopped chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli)
1-1/2 Cups Grape-Nuts
4 TBS honey
Dark chocolate (for dipping)

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a food processing or chopper and blend until thoroughly mixed.

Scoop into 1" dough balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat mat.

Freeze until very firm - several hours to overnight.

Melt dark chocolate and dip each dough ball until completely covered, carefully tapping off excess chocolate. Place on prepared cookie sheet and chill in the refrigerator until chocolate is set - approximately 10 minutes.

Enjoy! :)

Howdy, Chocoholics!  Look what I stumbled across while surfing the Internet – this awesome chocolate game called House of Chocolates!

I have to admit the music is a tad repetitious, but that’s what the mute button is for, right?  I find this game to be the chocolate version is Bejeweled, except with less graphics.

The object of the game is to match as many boxes as possible in a limited time.  You need to match the pieces in places so that the whole board becomes highlighted before advancing to the next stage.

Enjoy and don’t eat your monitor!

Check out my awesome VooDoo doughnut from VooDoo Doughnut!

Isn’t it cool?  I love the pretzel that’s stabbing the Voodoo doll, er, I mean doughut!  Haha!

Twisted humor is a good thing sometimes. 

VooDoo Doughnut is based in Oregon and has three locations – two in Portland and one in Eugene.

My husband, Kevin, (there he is, looking off into the distance) and I were in Portland last month and made a stop at their downtown location.  Let’s just say VooDoo Doughnuts is very eclectic, er, weird!  Heck, Portland is weird for that matter, and they’re proud of it!  Check out the ‘Keep Portland Weird’ sign behind Kevin’s head.  Ha ha ha! 

Once you’re in the store,  your eyes are overloaded with all kind of visuals – an awesome chalk menu board..

A twisted chandelier…

A giant doughnut on the wall and…

Cart after cart holding trays of the most varied doughnut shapes, sizes and flavors I’ve ever seen!

See what I mean?  We’re not just talking sprinkles here.  VooDoo Doughnuts puts cereal, marshmallows, bubble gum, bacon, M&M’s… the doughnut toppings are endless!  The level of creativity there is amazing!

Oh, and when Kevin and I stood outside VooDoo Doughnuts eating our treats, I could hear MC Hammer’s ‘U Can’t Touch This’ blaring from inside the store!  Awesome mindless music that is totally from my generation!  Ha ha ha!  Love it!!!

So, if you’re ever in Portland or Eugene, OR, make sure to stop by one of their locations.  They’re a definite must-see.

Oh, and their doughnuts are just about the best I’ve ever had! So fresh and very tasty!