Days of Chalk and Chocolate

Showing posts with label recipes. Show all posts

I recently bought a flat of blueberries at an incredibly cheap price (yay summer fruit!) so I started hunting for recipes in which to use them. Lo and behold, I came upon a blog called Cookies and Cups and lucky for me, she had a beautiful looking blueberry muffin cake recipe. I used the recipe you'll find on the website but I added in about a 1/4 cup of sour cream to the batter.

This cake is the bomb! It baked up beautifully, high and golden. The crumb is dense like a muffin so it is hearty and would pair perfectly with tea or coffee as a breakfast treat. But the crumb topping is by far the best part. It is just the right amount of topping to cake ratio, which if you are a fatty like me you know that the correct ratio is important!

I urge you to make this cake and I think it would be luscious with fresh raspberries as well. Next time I make it I may experiment with other fruits...maybe diced peaches! I wish I had taken pictures of the full cake but it got eaten up quickly. This is literally the last piece!

I have another blueberry recipe coming too! Stay tuned!

Jenny

Last Minute Fourth of July Marshmallow Pops

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Holidays, recipes, seasons

These patriotic marshmallow pops make the perfect last minute 4th of July treat! They were super easy to whip up. In fact, it is a great dessert to make with kids, Molly and Ellie did these by themselves! Aren't they cute? Even if you can't find the star shaped marshmallows, the red, white, and blue, sugars would make any marshmallow perfect for a holiday get together!

You'll need lollipop sticks, white melting chocolates (I used the wafers you find in craft stores), and red and blue sprinkles or sugars.

1. Melt the candy wafers in the microwave.
2. Dip the end of the lollipop stick into the chocolate and then into the marshmallow. The melted candy will help the marshmallow stick to the stick.
3. Dip 3/4 of the marshmallow into the melted white candy/chocolate.
4. Sprinkle with the red and blue sugars or sprinkles.

So cute, so easy, and very kid friendly.

Happy 4th of July, my dear friends! Let freedom ring!

Cheers!
Jenny

Holiday Baking: Pumpkin Eggnog Chiffon Tart

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fall, Holidays, recipes, seasons

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #NestleHolidayBaking #CollectiveBias

Thanksgiving is always a special holiday but for our family it is one of the only quiet moments in the middle of craziness to just enjoy each other. Between Molly's birthday being on Halloween and our travels during Christmas, the fall and winter tend to extra hectic. But Thanksgiving is the holiday in which we stay home and savor our time together.

We like to plan our menu together as a family and while we generally stick with tradition we do sometimes like to bring something new to the table. This Thanksgiving I am serving a luscious, velvety Pumpkin Eggnog Chiffon Tart! It is a perfect way to end our holiday meal! (I will admit that I spent a long time getting ideas from the Flavorful Moments Pinterest board!)

My mother taught me to make pumpkin pie only using LIBBY’S® 100% Pure Pumpkin, 15oz and NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk, 15oz and I made sure to use them for this recipe too. LIBBY’S® 100% Pure Pumpkin, 15oz is all natural and contains no preservatives so it is perfect for all kinds of yummy sweet or savory recipes! And what is fall without the flavor of pumpkin?

Finding all the ingredients at Walmart was easy as they had a baking kiosk set up near the seasonal section showcasing everything one may need for holiday baking. I found the pumpkin, evaporated milk, and NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Pumpkin Spice Morsels (remember to buy more than one since this is a seasonal item!) all in this area and in the baking aisle as well.

Now I was ready to create a sweet masterpiece, Pumpkin Eggnog Chiffon Tart! Doesn't that sound like holiday to you? There is a printable version of the recipe below too.

Printable Recipe

It is delicious and very light despite the luxurious ingredients. The pumpkin comes through in just the right amount and the eggnog is the perfect compliment. I garnished it with NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Pumpkin Spice Morsels which looked festive and gave it just a little extra spice! Everyone loved it!

High quality ingredients ensure the best tasting results and you know you can trust NESTLÉ® products! Be sure to check out more delicious holiday recipes on the Flavorful Moments Pinterest board and The Very Best Baking Pinterest board!

You can also find new products and recipe ideas by liking Nestle Toll House on Facebook
and following NESTLÉ® on Instagram.

I love hearing from readers....what are some of your favorite sweet holiday desserts?

Cheers!
Jenny

Slow Cooker Caramel Dip

1 comment

fall, recipes

Today I'm excited to share with you a happy experiment gone right: Slow Cooker Caramel! It is delicious and easy! Read on to find out how to make your own caramel dip in your slow cooker!

There really are only two kinds of people in the world. Those who prefer chocolate and those who are wrong. HA HA HA! Kidding. Or am I? Ok fine, some people (ahem wrong people) prefer vanilla.

Well, I kind of think that the chocolate/vanilla teams can meet on a common ground in the middle which is caramel. Who doesn't like caramel? Right. No one. It's like not liking puppies. Caramel is a creamy, gooey, bridge between opposing forces if you will.

And I love it. So I made it a few weeks ago with sugar and cream. It was amazing but playing with hot melted sugar is NO JOKE. In an effort to make things simpler, I finally tried the condensed milk-in-the-slow cooker method and I found it works! Sort of.

Slow Cooker Caramel Dip
1. Open a can of sweetened condensed milk.
2. Pour it into cute little jars. Some people just stick the whole can in the slow cooker but that feels unsafe to cook in a can to me.
3. Cap jars.Place in your slow cooker.
4. Pour enough water over the jars to cover the tops. This step is supposedly VERY IMPORTANT!! I guess the containers can rupture or explode if they aren't completely submerged.
5. Cook on low for 8 hours or until it looks like caramel.Carefully remove the jars from the slow cooker.

They will be super hot so you need to let them cool. If you are using canning jars, the lids will seal but since it isn't processed it isn't shelf stable. Refrigerate!

So did the condensed milk really turn into caramel? Well, it turned into a thick, creamy, amber colored confection that was yummy stirred into my morning coffee. I would call it more of a caramel flavored dip as it was perfect for scooping up with apple slices. Molly loved it. Ellie gave it the stink eye before deciding she would stick with chips. This was a good stand in for making caramel with melted sugar. It was easy, didn't make a huge amount which is good for us, and really tasted very yummy.

After a week in the fridge, it started to get a bit grainy but it smoothed out when I heated it a bit in the microwave.

So are you team ca-rah-mel or team car-mul?

Cheers!

Jenny

Overnight Oats Recipes!

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blogs, recipes

School has either started will be starting soon for us. Mornings are hectic and making the kids and yourself a healthy breakfast can take time. This is when overnight oats come to the rescue! They are the perfect busy morning breakfast that you can make the night before. You can even make a whole week's worth and just grab one every morning! Lifesaver!

Have you eaten overnight oats?What are they you ask? Imagine a sweet, cool, creamy breakfast made with oats so it is healthy too! If you haven't tried overnight oats, I encourage you to try. It is easy to whip up different flavors and you really can't mess it up!

The ratio I use is 1 part oatmeal to 1 part milk to 1 part yogurt and then you can add all sorts of lovely flavorings! I have rounded up a collection of overnight oat recipes that I am anxious to try. Maybe you'll try one too! How does Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough sound to you??

My own recipe: Peanut Butter Maple Overnight Oats

Blueberry and chocolate is one of my favorite flavor combinations. When I saw this recipe that uses both chocolate and blueberries I was sold!

The Breakfast Drama Queen

Blueberry Chocolate Oatmeal

Do I even need to explain why this appeals to me? Anything that resembles cookie dough is ok by me!

Fantastical Sharing

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Overnight Oats

Do you love pumpkin pie any time of the year? Then this overnight oat recipe may be for you. I love anything pumpkin at any time, plus pumpkin is so healthy that I would feel like I'm starting my day off on the right foot with this!

Just For Clicks

Pumpkin Overnight Oats

Peanut butter is often paired with chocolate but I feel like PB is like the cheese...it can stand alone. But a little brown sugar never hurt anything!

Parsley, Sage, and Sweet

Peanut Butter and Brown Sugar Oatmeal