THM - Skinny Chocolate
- 1/4 C. Cocoa Powder (I prefer dark chocolate powder)
- 1/2 C. Coconut Oil
- 3-4 tsp. truvia (make sure it has only Stevia and erythritol in it.) or a small dash of Nunaturals pure Stevia (can also use other pure Stevia's) , or other plan approved sweetener. (to taste)
- (Optional fillers) Coffee Beans, Almonds, unsweetened coconut, etc.
Put cocoa powder in a small bowl.
Add ,liquified, coconut oil to the bowl. (melt it down if it's solid.)
Add sweetener.
If you are adding a filler, do that now.
Stir all ingredients together with a fork.
Line a plastic pan with wax paper or foil .( I use an aluminum pan with foil.)
Pour liquid chocolate in the lined pan.
Freeze until it solidifies. ( It doesn't take long.)
Once it's solidified, you can wrap it up and keep it in the freezer.
Put it in the fridge if you want it softer.
It does melt fast, so you have to keep it cool.
Melts in your mouth, and is soooo yummy!
Similar to the magic chocolate shell, that you buy to put on ice cream.
Best of all, it's guilt free!
http://www.trimhealthymama.com/
Cinnamon Rolls
After making a few rounds of apple fritters, I looked for something else to satisfy my families sweet tooth.
At first I thought about doughnuts, but couldn't really find anything that lured me in. I happened to stumble upon a recipe for cinnamon swirl buns instead, which turned out to be a great find. I love this recipe, this dough is the best dough I have ever rolled out. I never get tired of putting my hands into it, it is so perfect, the elasticity is simply amazing. The blog I found the recipe on is called Smitten Kitchen
owned by Deb Perelman, she has a cook book out that's named after her blog. Maybe I will try it sometime and give a review. Right now though , I will give you her delicious cinnamon roll recipe.
The ingredients are:
Dough
1 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 1/2 cups (or more) unbleached all purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 1/4 teaspoons rapid-rise or instant yeast (from 1 envelope yeast)
1 teaspoon salt
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
I didn't mix my dough in a bowl. Since it is a yeast recipe, I put all my ingredients in the bread maker and let it do the dough for me.
After the dough was finished I preheated the oven to 350, then I..
1. made the filling
Filling
3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Pinch of salt
2. rolled out the dough
3.poured the filling all over the top of the dough
4. rolled up the filled dough
5. cut the dough into small buns
6.put them in a pan & let them rise a little more
7. put extras in baggies a refrigerate them
8. bake the rolls on 350 for about 10 minutes...watch closely, all ovens are different.
9. top them when done
Glaze
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
I didn't glaze mine, I just dusted them with powdered sugar.
Here are the steps from Deb's page.
For dough: Combine milk and butter in glass measuring cup. Microwave on high until butter melts and mixture is just warmed to 120°F to 130°F, about 30 to 45 seconds. Pour into bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add 1 cup flour, sugar, egg, yeast, and salt. Beat on low speed 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Add additional 2 1/2 cups flour. Beat on low until flour is absorbed and dough is sticky, scraping down sides of bowl. If dough is very sticky, add more flour by tablespoonfuls until dough begins to form ball and pulls away from sides of bowl. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if sticky, about 8 minutes. (You may also use a KitchenAid’s dough hook for this process.) Form into ball.
Lightly oil large bowl with nonstick spray. Transfer dough to bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.
For filling: Mix brown sugar, cinnamon and pinch of salt in medium bowl.
Press down dough. Transfer to floured work surface. Roll out to 15×11-inch rectangle. Spread butter over dough, leaving 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle cinnamon mixture evenly over butter. Starting at the longer side, roll dough into log, pinching gently to keep it rolled up. With seam side down, trim ends straight if they are uneven (we baked them in a ramekin, incapable of discarding such deliciousness) cut remaining dough crosswise with thin sharp knife (a good serrated worked well here) into 18 equal slices (each about 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide).
Spray two 9-inch square glass baking dishes (an 8-inch square metal pan worked just fine, too) with nonstick spray. Divide rolls between baking dishes, arranging cut side up (there will be almost no space between rolls). Cover baking dishes with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, 40 to 45 minutes, though yours, like mine, may take longer. Don’t skimp on the double-rising time.
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Bake rolls until tops are golden, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and invert immediately onto rack. Cool 10 minutes. Turn rolls right side up.
For glaze: Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until smooth. Spread glaze on rolls. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Note: These buns were best the day they were baked. The second day, they were on the tough side. If you anticipate wanting them over a few days, glaze them to order, heating the buns beforehand to soften them up.
Thank you Deb for such an amazing recipe.
Apple Fritters
I woke up one morning with a crazy craving for Apple Fritters. My craving got the better of me, so I rolled out of bed and started searching the internet for a recipe. I ended up at The Pioneer Woman blog, and found what proved to be a very yummy recipe.. I made the fritters, and my family was very happy with the results. I also sent some fritters down to my friend and neighbor, Amanda, for her families breakfast. They were very happy with the results as well. It's always a good thing to find a recipe that makes people smile.
Here's the recipe:
- 2 cups All-purpose Flour
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 3 Tablespoons Sugar
- 2-1/4 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1-1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
- 2 whole Large Eggs
- 3/4 cups Whole Milk
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 2 Tablespoons Melted Butter
- 2 whole Granny Smith Apples, Peeled And Diced
- Powdered Sugar (optional, For Dusting)
- GLAZE (optional)
- 1-1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Vanilla
- 1/4 cup Milk
In a separate bowl whisk your eggs, blending well.
Then add your milk, melted butter & vanilla to the egg mix. Fold the wet and dry ingredients together, but do not over mix. Fold in the apples, until you have chunky batter. Make sure your apples shine through.
Now heat a couple inches of oil in a pan. I use a light flavored olive or coconut oil, but you can use what you want. Test your oils heat by adding a small drop of batter to it, if it floats and sizzles, it's ready. Be sure not to get it too hot , or you'll burn your fritters. When your oil is ready, drop some batter into it, in the size you want. Remember, the bigger the fritter the longer the cooking time. I recommend you stay the size of a small burger bun, maybe a little smaller, but definitely no bigger. Flip the fritters after a while, and let the other side brown as well. It will take about 2 to 2.5 minutes each side, but watch them closely, so not to over brown them. When done, place them on a plate lined with a paper towel, then sprinkle them with powdered sugar and serve. These are so wonderfully delicious, you really won't regret it...well I guess that really depends on how many you eat. ;cD
Thank you Ree ,for helping calm my craving and bringing a smile to everyone's face.
Pumpkin Spice French Toast ,with caramel-maple syrup
I made this recipe for my children yesterday morning , and it was a big hit. It is very simple to make , and also very inexpensive, which is great.
You will need these ingredients:
Eggs
Milk
Pumpkin pie seasoning (or make your own--recipe link below)
Pureed pumpkin
Caramel dip or melted cubes
Maple syrup
Butter
Small canning jar w/ lid
Get a large bowl and mix your eggs and a small amount of milk together.
(I use four to six eggs with 1/4 C. of milk, for 8 to 10 pieces of bread.)
Mix in about 1/4 C. of pureed pumpkin , and add 1/2 a tspn. or a whole tspn. to the bowl mixture.
(depends on how much spice you like.)
Dip your bread in your mix and put it in your heated, buttered pan.
Cook on Med. heat, until golden on both sides, and the center is no longer soggy.
Fill jar 1/4 full of caramel, and the rest with maple syrup. Mix together slowly .
Pour this on top of your pumpkin spice french toast, with melted butter. Put left over syrup mixture in the fridge for another day.
Add a side glass of spiced apple cider , and you have the perfect fall breakfast, that will make your kids smile.
-You can also add some green apples (cooked/uncooked- up to you.) to the top, before you add the syrup.
- If you want more spice sprinkle it on top of the toast before the syrup.
Enjoy!
I want to thank Erin, at One dish dinners for this idea, and for her recipe on homemade pumpkin pie spice.
Thanks, Erin! :c)
