Flashback Friday - Fabulous Muffins for Fall

WELCOME TO FLASHBACK FRIDAY! 

I've loved muffins for all my life...and I've loved baking

for almost that long too...hope you enjoy these tasty treats as you

warm up your kitchen in the cooler temps! 

Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling

With reduced sugar, these luscious treats will make you feel good about eating them! 

Oatmeal Raspberry Muffins with Choc Chips

These amazing and moist muffins are terrific for snacking. They are 
considered 5 Weight Watchers Freestyle Points too.  You won't be able to stop
eating just one...or even two! 

Pumpkin Cinnamon Chip Muffins (3 ingredients - lowfat!)

Dark chocolate is good for you you know...and zucchini is too...
GO.FOR.IT! 

Dark Chocolate Zucchini Muffins with Ganache

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Slow Cooker Fudge (made with honey)

Oh yeh...a fudge you can enjoy without all the guilt that goes with many of the holiday treats! 

I just had to give this a try after seeing it at Skinny Ms. I slightly adapted the recipe she shares there.

I got other baking done while this recipe 'cooked' in the slow cooker, and gave the kitchen another wonderful aroma boost. 

Feel free to use whatever flavor chocolate chips you'd like, but I chose

to use dark chocolate....

 I just love that dark chocolate helps lower blood pressure and increases blood flow to throughout the body. Eating dark chocolate provides you with energy, fat, minerals and antioxidants to help maintain your overall health. It is also loaded with antioxidants to ward off cancer causing free radicals.  

As for coconut milk, it is an excellent alternative to dairy and contains high amounts of vitamins and nutrients to fight illnesses.One cup of canned coconut milk has more than 10% of your daily value of iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc. It's also high in fat, but it contains a type of fat that provides health benefits.

Honey helps prevent cancer and heart disease. Honey contains flavonoids, antioxidants which help reduce the risk of some cancers and heart disease.

So eat up - and enjoy!!! It's rich, so a small piece will be enough to tickle your taste buds. 

SLOW COOKER FUDGE

2-1/2 c. chocolate chips, (I used mostly dark chocolate chips because of their health benefits.  A bag of dark chips contains 2 cups - I added 1/2 c. semi-sweet - use your favorite kind)

1/2 cup coconut milk, (canned)

1/4 c. honey, maple syrup or coconut sugar

dash of sea salt

3 Tb. coconut oil

1 tsp. vanilla (or peppermint) extract

1/2 - 3/4 c. crushed nuts (we prefer pecans), optional

Lightly grease an 8" X 8" square pan; set aside.

Add chocolate chips, coconut milk, honey, salt, and coconut oil to slow cooker; stir to combine, being sure to scrape the edges so everything's in the middle of the pot. Cover and cook on low 2 hours without stirring. Please DO NOT remove the lid during cooking - very important. 

After 2 hours, turn the slow cooker off, uncover, and add vanilla. Do not stir fudge mixture at this point. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Once cooled, using a large (wooden) spoon, stir vigorously for 5-10 minutes until it loses some of the gloss. Stir in nuts if using. 

Pour fudge into pan, cover and refrigerate 4 hours or until firm. Cut into small pieces to serve. 

Linked to
What's Crockin' Wednesday
Weekend Potluck
Meal Plan Monday

You might also enjoy...

Easy Tiger Butter (3 ingredients)

Nutter Butter Microwave Fudge

Amazing Ritz Cracker Candies

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Guest Post: DJ's Sugar Shack - Chocolate Bread Pudding for Two

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE! 

I'm tickled to have my friend Dawn from DJ's Sugar Shack sharing a guest post today...a chocolate-y treat for two.   We crossed paths somewhere in BlogLand a while back and were quick to connect.  She lives in Alaska and I use to. That's always fun.  Thanks so much for sharing Dawn! 

Take 'er away....


Hi Everyone! I'm Dawn and I like to share my adventures in baking & other sweet treats over at DJ's Sugar Shack. I can't tell you how thrilled I am to be sharing a recipe here today. I absolutely love to stalk Marsha's blog:) I've made several of her recipes and have never been disappointed.



I'm originally from New Orleans, but ended up moving to Alaska after college. I took a summer job in Denali National Park and I'm still here 12 years later. My love for cooking and baking developed some time after I moved to Alaska. Looking back, I think I was missing good old N'awlins cooking and decided it was time to figure out a way to make it myself. My grand-parents are excellent cooks; they taught me to cook many of my favorite dishes over the phone, via letters and when I visit.

Today I will be sharing Chocolate Bread Pudding for Two.

This has been on my "to-do" list for quite a while and boy have I been missing out. This dessert was so rich and chocolatey. I used Sweet Hawaiian Bread & I think that might be what made this so delicious. That and the Kahlua, yummy. Thankfully, this recipe only mades two servings. If it had made more, I don't know how I would have resisted eating several helpings.

Look at all that ooey-gooey chocolatey goodness.

Chocolate Bread Pudding for Two

Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:

• 5-6 slices cubed Hawaiian sweet bread (other sweet breads can be substituted)
• 2/3 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• 2 tablespoon Kahlua
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 ounce dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Cut the Hawaiian sweet bread in to cubes. Place bread on baking sheet, in a single layer. Put in oven for 5 minutes, just long enough to toast the bread.
• Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees
• In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, sugar, cocoa, Kahlua. vanilla extract, almond extract & egg. Add bread to mixture & toss lightly to coat bread. Cover and place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.
• Spray 2 ramekins with cooking spray.
• Divide half of the bread mixture between the two ramekins and sprinkle with half the chopped chocolate. Divide remaining bread mixture between the ramekins. Top each with half of the remaining chocolate.
• Place ramekins in an 8x8 baking pan. Fill pan with hot water. There should be about 1 inch of water in the pan
• Bake for 35 minutes or until set.
• Serve warm.
• Optional- top with whipped cream or fresh berries.

Big thanks to Marsha for having me today!

I would love it if some of you stopped by DJ's Sugar Shack to check out the fun treats I'm whipping up.

(As I wipe the drool from my chin...) 

Thanks so much Dawn....

Marsha 

Brownie Baked Oatmeal

I truly love oatmeal, any time of day. 

Especially since I learned I can make CHOCOLATE oatmeal. 

YES! 

I found this tasty recipe at Thriving Home blog where two moms, Polly and Rachel, share healthy recipes and tips for parenting and home management.  I think these young moms are a vault of wisdom and I really enjoy their posts and content.  They created this lovely recipe!

These gals share a lot of cool ideas, like...How to make a 5-minute fabric flower, 
How to make your own non-toxic foaming hand soap, or simply how to 
Resolve Conflict ...lots of practical stuff!! 

It's quite healthy too...with fiber (oatmeal), calcium, protein, vitamin A (pumpkin), and even antioxidants from the dark chocolate. 

You can easily mix the wet ingredients together and the dry ingredients the night before, then combine the two in the morning just before baking. 

This recipe can also be easily cut in half for a smaller portion. 

• BROWNIE BAKED OATMEAL 
• 
  
• 3 c. oatmeal (quick or old-fashioned)
• 2 Tb. flaxseed
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 heaping c. cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup honey or brown sugar
• 2 Tb. coconut oil (or butter), warmed
• 1/2 c. pumpkin puree (or mashed banana or applesauce)
• 3/4 c. (1%) milk (or fat free)
• 1/2 c. plain Greek yogurt
• 2 eggs
• (or 1 whole egg + 2 egg whites)
• For Flax Egg Substitute, click here
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 – 1/2 c. dark chocolate (or peanut butter) chips, optional

       Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 In large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (the first six ingredients, through cinnamon).

In another bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients (honey, oil, pumpkin, milk, yogurt, eggs, and vanilla).

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones. Mix well by hand.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Pour batter into a greased 9" x 13" baking pan. Bake for about 22 minutes (or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean). Serve with warm milk on top, along with a dab of peanut butter or fruit. 

Linked to Weekend Potluck

Apricot Almond Truffles

This is a quick, easy and healthier snack choice. It was a recipe from Ellie Krieger printed in the USA Weekend in our local newspaper. 

These are the perfect way to show your love to someone special. 

Mix dried apricots, ground almonds, add a few simple ingredients - cover with chocolate and you will want to indulge!

And you'll be able to...because these actually have some health benefits! 

Dried fruit concentrates have fiber and potassium...crunchy almonds have healthy fats, Vitamin E and minerals, and dark chocolate is loaded with protective antioxidants. 

All of these nutrients are shown to protect your heart. 

Please don't be intimidated by the length of the instructions.  They really are pretty simple to put together. 

APRICOT ALMOND TRUFFLES

1/2 c. whole, natural, unsalted almonds

(I used salted and didn't add the 'extra' 1/8 tsp. salt)

1-1/2 c. dried Turkish apricots

(mine were a tad dry so I soaked them in boiling water first) 

1 Tb. honey

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/8 tsp. salt

3 ozs. dark chocolate (60-70% cocoa solids), chopped

Place almonds in dry skillet over medium-high heat (or just use roasted) and cook, stirring frequently, until they are toasted and become fragrant, about 5 minutes.  Set aside to cool slightly.

Put the almonds in a food processor and pulse a few times until the nuts are coarsely chopped.  Add the apricots, honey, cinnamon, ginger and salt to the processor; process until ingredients are finely chopped and begin to stick together, about 45 seconds. 

Roll the mixture with your hands into heaping teaspoon-sized balls and set them on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper.

Place a small bowl or double boiler over a saucepan of barely simmering water, over low heat. Place half the chocolate in the bowl and stir until melted.  Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the remaining chocolate, stirring until it is melted. 

Roll the apricot balls in the melted chocolate, one or two at a time, until they are all covered.  Place them back on the waxed paper, then chill in the fridge until set, about 15 minutes.  Serve and store at room temperature. 

Guest Post: A'lil Country Sugar/Dark Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

I am so thrilled to be sharing this prize winning recipe (from my prize-winning friend) Angie today. She not only has a wonderful blog - A'lil Country Sugar - I have met Angie personally...after we were both bloggers. We don't live far from each other and have gotten together a few times. She's a very dear lady and friend, and the comments she shares about me below make me BLUSH!

I love this gal and so enjoy the recipes she creates. Please please please visit her blog and even subscribe to her posts. You won't be sorry!

Take it away, Beautiful Ang....

Hi, my name is Angie Walker, the operator of A'lil Country Sugar.

But before I get into talking about myself, I would like to do a

little talking about this wonderful lady Marsha at the Better

Baker Blog.

Marsha and I have been friends since I started blogging full-bore

in 2010. She not only is a good, great, awesome friend, but she is

also an inspiration. Marsha can take the most troublesome of times

and see all the good in those troubles. She will completely flip-flop

the direction (of the bad) and get it going in the right direction

(the good). I am so glad to have this wonderful lady in my life.

I have called on her many times for advice, we have cried together,

and vacationed together (Sweetielicious). And the really neat thing

about knowing Marsha, we only live 20 minutes away from each
other. When you visit Marsha's blog, her fan page, or her pinterest,

make sure you mark all those pages because you will want to

return. Also, if you get the chance to get to know Marsha personally,

you are one lucky person.....I know I am!!

To tell you a little about me; I have been blogging steadily since July

of 2010. What started out as a hobby has quickly turned into a full-time

commitment. And I am not complaining because I am loving every

minute of it.

I have lived my entire life in the same small village in Ohio. Being

constantly trapped between endless cornfields and cows, I love to travel.

My oldest brother is an Air Force retired Veteran, and while he

was serving I got to visit....New Mexico, Alaska, Arizona, etc...

I never made it over-seas, but some day I will.

I have three wonderful adult children and two grandchildren.

I'm a full-time college student working on my BA in supervision and

leadership. I graduate this May....WOOP! WOOP!

I hope you all enjoy my recipes, my blog, and my fan page, because

all of you have made this possible for me. You are my strength, my

motivation, and my commitment.

Thank you Marsha for letting me post at your blog today.

Another zucchini "job well done".

Zucchini is one of the homeliest vegetables of the garden (I think). But they are versatile. One of the most versatile veggies out there.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if zucchini grew as beautiful as this muffin? PPFFSSSTTT....I'd be growing tons of zucchini if they looked and tasted like this.

Don't you just hate it when you make muffins and the batter exceeds the muffin pan by one or two muffins?

Just don't forget: when you have empty muffin cups, make sure you put water in them. Don't bake them empty.

Plus the steam from the water filled cups helps in the baking process.

And they look like this when they are done.

This has got to be one of the best zucchini recipes ever. Especially when dark chocolate is involved.

And the white chocolate ganache.....THE PERFECT TOPPING!

 

Dark Chocolate Zucchini Muffins with White Chocolate Ganache

1 1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 TBS instant coffee granules

1/2 c. canola oil

3/4 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. grated zucchini

1 c. Hershey's Special Dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare muffin tins with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir in the coffee granules and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat on low, oil, sugar, and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time and mix until combined. Add grated zucchini. Stir to thoroughly incorporate.

Slowly begin to add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. When everything is thoroughly mixed, stir in the dark chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared muffin cups. I filled mine almost to the top.

Bake muffins 20 - 25 minutes, or until wooden pick checks clean.

Completely cool on wire rack.

White Chocolate Ganache:

1 c. white chocolate chips

1/2 c. heavy cream

In a microwave safe bowl, combine the chips and cream. Microwave on high in 20 second intervals, stirring after each 20 seconds. Do this until chocolate is soft enough to melt and become creamy with stirring.

After muffins were completely cool, I dipped each top in the ganache, and set them back on wire rack to dry.

Thanks so much Angie for sharing with us here today!  You'll always be a winner in my book! =)

Linked to Full Plate Thursday

Black Forest Chocolate Cookies

I added this recipe to my cookbook - Recipes & Recollections from The Better Baker - before I ever made them because I was at a friend's home when her son was taking these cookies out of the oven. 

OH MY!  They melted in my mouth and had such a great flavor!

So...I decided to make them to give away for Valentine's Day.  (Especially since my monthly newspaper column this month talks a little bit about the health benefits of dark chocolate!)

(I found these adorable ziploc bags to 'present' the cookies in

at my local $$ store - I think they're so cute!)

The dough sets in the fridge for atleast 6 hrs...mine was there for days before I baked them.  It's nice to have it ready so when you find a spot of free time, you can start your oven and bake away.

Oh my - look at that smooooooooooth dark chocolate -

this was before adding it to the dough.

BLACK FOREST CHOCOLATE COOKIES

3/4 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
16 ozs dark chocolate (60-72% cacao), coarsely chopped (I used special dark choco chips)
10 Tb. butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 lg. eggs
1-1/4 c. white sugar
1 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
1 Tb. pure vanilla extract
1 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1 c. white chocolate chips
1 c. dried cherries

In medium bowl, place flour, baking powder, and salt; blend; set aside. In large metal bowl, combine dark chocolate and butter.  Set bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and mixture is smooth.  (I did this step in the microwave on medium power - check and stir often). Set aside to cool.

In large mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugars on high speed (using whisk attachment if you have one). Beat until mixture is pale and thick, about 5 minutes.  Add the cooled chocolate mixture and vanilla; beat just until combined.  Scrape down bowl and beat again for 10 seconds. Add flour mixture and mix on low until just combined; do not overmix. 

Using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the chocolate chips, white chocolate chips and dried cherries.  The dough will look very loose, but will set up in the refrigerator. Cover; refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 375. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Drop dough by rounded tablespoonsful onto prepared baking sheets, about 1" apart.  Bake 10 - 12 minutes, rotating pans halfway through the baking time, until tops are set and begin to show a few cracks.  Remove from oven and cool slightly before removing from pans. 

Cookies can be stored in airtight container for up to 3 days.  Yield: 2 - 3 dozen nice-sized cookies.

(I ended up with about 4 dozen?)  I also used 1 c. of flour so they wouldn't be so flat, so if you use the required amount of flour, your cookies will be flatter.
(That really only matters if you're a texture kind of person).

Please don't let the length of this recipe intimidate you.  They're not difficult at all and very delicious!  Especially warm....

I enjoyed a couple of these cookies while typing up this post...MMM! *-*

I wanted to add this picture to today's post too..I bought both the heart-shaped covered pretzels for $1. at my local Dollar General, and also a pack of 12 of these adorable <3-shaped bags for a $1. I filled them with goodies (including heart shaped pretzels!) to give to my family for Valentine's Day.

You don't have to be extravagant in your gift giving....

As author Gary Chapman tells us "People have always said it's the thought that counts...it's not the thought left in your head that counts, it's the gift that comes out of the thought in your head that counts!

Personally - I'd rather get a cheapie gift...filled with thought...than something expensive that has no thought put into it.

Enjoy a wonderful pre-Valentine's Day weekend showered in love & hugs! 

Easy and Delicious Hot Cocoa

I love chocolate!  And making hot cocoa from scratch is such a delight.

So when I read my good friend Angie's post at A'lil Country Sugar  - about making hot cocoa, I got up from my chair and went right to the kitchen to give it a try.

How can you go wrong melting a chocolate bar in warm milk to drink?  Oh my!!  To die for!

(Of course, enjoying it from a cutsie mug helps too - I received this one as a Christmas gift.  It just seems to make everything taste better. *-*)

This is Angie's version -

Hot Chocolate With Marshmallow Creme

8 oz. 2% milk

2 oz. heavy whipping cream

2 TBS light brown sugar

Heat on medium heat until the mixture bubbles around the edge.

 Remove from heat and add 2 oz. finely chopped chocolate of your choice.

Whisk gently until the chocolate is melted and well combined. You can adjust your chocolate amount to your liking. If you need to add more than 2 oz. add more.

Top hot chocolate with marshmallows or marshmallow creme and chocolate shavings.

The changes I made were....I used 1% milk, fat free half and half instead of whipping cream, and used this special dark chocolate candy bar. 

After all - dark chocolate is healthy for you - how can you go wrong with this healthy treat?

You can't!!!

(I was fortunate to have two of these candy bars and used 1-1/4 - they are 1.45 ozs each)

It was wonderfully delicious and I enjoyed every sip.  I used mini marshmallows because I didn't have the creme.  I'm not a big marshmallow fan, but when these puppies melt in the warm cocoa, I just LOVE them.

It feels like such an indulgence!

And that's always a good thing when you're trying to stick with healthy eating.  I think it's a very good thing to splurge now and then. 

Good for the mind, AND the soul...not to mention the body.

Especially on a cold snowy winter's day.  One terrific way to warm up!

From my "365 Reasons to Eat Chocolate" calendar....

If you are planning to start an exercise program, you will need the extra energy that chocolate brings.  If you are not planning to start an exercise program, you probably don't need an excuse to eat chocolate.   (Or drink it either)

MAKES SENSE TO ME!!

Keep smiling!!