Whoa! Back that train up!

They completely had my attention because that sounds darn good!  I looked at the recipe and immediately started figuring out how I could make my own.

Everyone’s heard of those BIG chocolate chip cookies sometimes people use in place of birthday cakes.  But this?  This is a completely different concept.

It really is just a basic chocolate chip cookie cooked in a cast iron skillet which results in a thicker cookie with a gooey middle.

I wasted no time in making my own version.

Andrea’s Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie

• 1C Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1C White Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/3C Unsweetened Coconut Milk (Found in the dairy aisle, not the canned kind)
• 2 1/2TBSP Unsalted Butter, room temp + 1/2TBSP
• 1 Egg, room temp
• 1/2C Brown Sugar
• 1/2C Unsweetened Applesauce
• 2tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2tsp Sea Salt
• 1C Dark Chocolate Chips
• 1C Walnuts, crushed

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Use 1/2TBSP butter to grease your cast iron skillet.  In a large mixing bowl combine, flours, sea salt, and baking powder.  Whisk together then add in the nuts and chocolate chips.  Stir until everything is combined.  In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine 2 1/2TBSP butter, egg, vanilla, brown sugar, coconut milk, and applesauce.  Slowly add the liquid mixture to the dry and stir until everything is well combined.  This will be a slightly thick dough.

Pour mixture into greased skillet and spread around till it’s even in the skillet.  Place in oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven, allow to cool for about 5 minutes, slice and serve.  Best served warm.

Both Scott and I were very happy with the way this cookie turned out!  Because of the white whole wheat flour it’s a more dense and chewy cookie.  A lot more filling as well!  It’s not a crumbly crispy cookie, instead it’s soft with gooey melty chocolate.  I added the walnuts just for a little extra kick.

This cookie is best served warm and the slices can be easily heated up in the microwave before serving.  It also freezes well!

If you have a cast iron skillet you should probably make this for a holiday dessert.

Or for Christmas morning breakfast, whichever you feel is more appropriate.

Have fun guys, and remember, always play with your food! Enjoy!

Comments: 6

I made a few changes to accomodate what I had on hand along with adjusting to suit our tastes.

Below is the original recipe from Jess:

Italian Chocolate Meatball Cookies

from Dianna Petrella’s recipe (a family friend)

Ingredients

• 1 cup shortening (yes, you have to use shortening or something like Earth Balance – unfortunately butter just doesn’t work right)
• 1.5 cup granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup warm milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 5 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder (Hershey’s, Ghirardelli, or Scharffen Berger are good)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp cloves
• 1 cup walnuts (finely chopped)
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl (ideally you would do this in a stand mixer if you have one; I wouldn’t recommend a hand mixer unless you’ve got an industrial strength one). Roll into balls. Bake at 350º for 10-15 minutes. Cool and dip tops into confectionary sugar frosting and sprinkle tops with confetti. Freeze for up to three months. Yields 4-5 dozen.

For frosting, mix 3 cups confectionary sugar, 2 Tbsp milk, and 1 tsp vanilla extract.

My adapations are as follows:

Comments: 2

And twice on Sundays please.

Because of this I’m constantly creating new rubs and trying out different seasoning combos.

One that I couldn’t get out of my head was using coffee grounds in the rub.

If we had a compost pile or actually planted things around the house, those coffee grinds would be put to good use.  For now they end up getting tossed and I feel like that is such a waste.  I’ve been looking for new uses for them.

Some are to eat and some are for the body.

I decided to try out some of the grounds in a rub and both of us were pretty pleased with the results.

Andrea’s Coffee and Cocoa Dry Rub

• 1TBSP Coffee Grounds (whatever you used that morning is fine)
• 1TBSP Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 2tsp Garlic Powder
• 1TBSP Brown Sugar
• 3tsp Chili Powder
• 2tsp Smoked Paprika
• Pinch Salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and use on chicken, beef, or pork.  You can even use this on veggies or tofu!

I’ve used this rub on a rack of ribs and also on some flank steak.  I prefer it on the steak!  It gave the steak an very lovely deep color as it grilled, along with providing a nice crust on the outside.

I fought Scott over the crispy ends!  We made tacos with the flank steak, grilling up some onions and peppers on the side.

You can also add a bit of oil to the rub to make a paste and use that on veggies or tofu, cooking them however you choose.

The coffee provided more color than it did flavor but the combo of coffee and cocoa did provide a more intense beef taste.

If you drink coffee, try using the grounds in recipes and experiment a little.

And if you’re going to be getting in some grilling because you’re not ready to let that go just yet, give this rub a try!

Have fun guys, and remember, always play with your food! Enjoy!

Comments: 7

One of my favorite rules to break is the:

You can’t eat chocolate for breakfast.

Who started this nonsense? More importantly, why in the world do we listen to it?

Chocolate is a perfectly acceptable breakfast ingredient. It’s a nice little treat and a lovely little surprise to start our day.

It makes ordinary things a lot more special.  And a lot more yummy!

While I admit that chocolate isn’t something I want everyday for breakfast, I certainly don’t think it should only be regulated to desserts or as an after dinner treat.

Chocolate can be used in a variety of ways and should be embraced a lot more openly!

We can have chocolate any time we want!

Some ways that we like chocolate:

Chocolate Coconut Oats

Buzzin’ Bars

In Chili

On chicken

So tell me, how do you like your chocolate? Do you ever have it for breakfast or dinner?

Comments: 10

Because I knew that eating times might be odd and because I know Scott, this meant he would need to take some food along with him.

He was taking a carry on which meant that the food had to be small, easy to carry, and not prone to spoilage.  And since I knew that these could very well be a meal source, I knew that they had to be jam packed with good stuff.  Stuff that could get you through a couple of hours.

I like using soaked dates in bars and coffee cakes because it adds a nice sweetness without being over powering.  Plus they are a great source of fiber and potassium.

Plus I wanted to do something fun so I added an extra little kick to these bars.

Andrea’s Buzzin Bars

• 10, dried and pitted dates
• 1C Coffee + 2TBSP
• 2C Oats
• 1C White Whole Wheat Flour
• 2TBSP Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 1/2C All Natural Peanut Butter
• 1/2C Dark Chocolate Chips
• 1TBSP Maple Syrup
• 1/2C Unsweetened Coconut Milk (Not the kind in a can, the kind in the refrigerated section)
• 2tsp Vanilla Extract

In a small to medium sized bowl, add the dates and pour 1C of hot coffee over the dates.  Allow to soak for 1/2 hour to an hour.  You can use leftover coffee that has been reheated.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease an 8×8 baking dish (either with oil or nonstick spray).

Drain dates and add to a food processor.  Pulse just until the dates start to break up.  Add in the oats, flour, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips.  Pulse again until the oats start to break down and the chips start to break down as well.  The chips might not break down as easy, don’t worry about this.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, add in the coconut milk, 2TBSP of coffee, the peanut butter, maple syrup, and the vanilla extract.  Whisk until the PB is well incorporated into the mix.  Add this mixture to the date mixture, and pulse until well combined.

This will be an extremely thick batter.  It will not be a pourable batter and you may have to remove it from the processor and mix with your hands a few times.  Put this mixture into the baking dish, you’ll have to press it into place.  Again, remember this is a really thick batter.

Place in oven and bake for about 10 -15 minutes.  Just till the top starts to get a little browned.  It doesn’t take long at all for these bars to set.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes before cutting.  Cut into squares and serve immediately.  Or allow to cool longer once cut, place in a storage container and keep in fridge until you’re ready to eat one.  I suggest heating it up slightly before eating.

These also freeze very well.

These smell exactly like a no bake cookie.  The peanut butter comes out as a very strong smell and flavor in these bars.  The coffee is just enough to enhance the chocolate and not dominate the flavor in any way.

The bars are very dense because they are so jam packed with goodness.  Fiber from the oats and dates, protein from the peanut butter, and a little fun from the chocolate.

If you don’t have coffee or don’t want to use coffee, you can soak the dates in hot water.  Use 2 TBSP of coconut milk in place of the 2 TBSP of coffee in the bar batter.

Great as a breakfast or a snack.

Bonus, you don’t even have to cook these!  You can roll them into little ball shapes and serve them up as a twist on a truffle. Yes there is flour in here but there is no “uncooked flour” taste when you eat these bars raw.  All you get is a straight forward chocolate and peanut butter combo.

I did give all of these to Scott to take on his trip.  That much chocolate and PB needs to stay close to home as well.  I had some for breakfast and they are chocolatey delish!

Do you make bars at home?  They are perfect for snacks on the go!

Have fun guys, and remember, always play with your food!  Enjoy!

Comments: 4

Dark chocolate, toffee bits, and carmalized almonds.

Sounds fantastic, right?

I’ve had Ghirardelli in the past and it’s a pretty sound chocolate.  Not the best ever but decent and their ingredients list is typically on the up and up.

I didn’t think much of it and pick up a few bars because like I said, this was on sale for a crazy deal.

A little while goes by and I try a square.  And I disliked it.

“Scott, for dark chocolate this tastes ridiculously sweet. Ick.”

I don’t care for “sweets” which is why I love to eat dark chocolate.

I decided maybe my taster was off and gave it another taste a few days later.  Again, I really didn’t like it.  It was over-poweringly sweet.  The toffee and almond bits were so small I didn’t think it could be from that.

I finally decided to read the ingredient list.

I’m not sure if you can read that but if you click on the picture you should be able to.  Ghirardelli was nice to bold the ingredients that could be allergy causing.

Below, I’ve typed out the ingredients list and bolded what I think the problem is.

Bittersweet chocolate (sugar, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, milk fat, soy lecithin – an emulsifier, vanilla), toffee (sugar, butter, high fructose corn syrup, salt, soy lecithin – an emulsifier), almonds, sugar, salt, corn syrup, natural flavor.

HOLY CRAP

Sugar is listed 5 times.

Let me repeat, there is sugar listed in this ingredient label 5 times.

No wonder this “dark chocolate” bar tasted so sweet to me.  Look at all that sugar!  And it contains HFCS which is a huge no-no in this house.

I was terribly annoyed with myself for making such a rookie mistake.  Because I’ve had Ghirardelli in the past with no issue, I thought I could get by without reading the label.

Wrong.

The lesson to be learned here is that one always has to be sure of what they are buying.  Always take time to read the ingredients labels on everything you buy.  Even, and most especially when it’s a brand or product you’ve purchased before.  Because maybe something’s different and you want to catch it before you spend money on it.

Comments: 10

But some days we just need something fun. Some days we need a little pick-me-up.

Some days we just need some dang chocolate.

And on those days, I get a little sassy with my oats and make something super yummy.  Nothing too terribly fancy and I’m sure others have been doing this for a while but this is my take on a classic flavor combo.

Chocolate and coconut!

Andrea’s Chocolate Coconut Oats

• 1C Old Fashioned Oats
• 1.5C Plain Soymilk (or liquid of your choice)
• 1 Ripe banana
• 1TBSP Wheat Germ
• 1TBSP Ground Flax
• 1TBSP Coconut Butter
• 1TBSP Unsweetened Cocoa powder
• 2TBSP Dried Unsweetened Coconut
• Extra coconut and dark chocolate chips for garnish

In a small pot, add in the soymilk and the banana. Mash the banana around and then add in the cocoa and coconut butter.  Heat over medium-high heat until the soymilk just begins to bubble. Add in the oats and reduce heat to medium-low.  Also add in the ground flax, wheat germ, and dried coconut. Stir and allow to cook for about 5-7 minutes until the oats soften and the mixture starts to thicken up.  Remove from heat, spoon into bowls, and top with chocolate chips and coconut for garnish. Makes enough for two bowls of oats.

Everything before you hit the coconut butter, is how I make my typical morning oats just adding in a sprinkle of cinnamon for some flavor and warmth. Whenever I try and make a fancier bowl of oats, I start with the basic and build up from there. It makes things easier plus I know if the oats don’t turn out, it’s because of the new ingredients since nothing else is different.

This is a lovely bowl of oats when you want something a little different. It’s not too sweet and the chocolate isn’t overpowering. The flavor is subtle and you can appreciate taking a little trip down chocolate lane as you eat it.

Just because it’s chocolate doesn’t mean you can’t have it for breakfast!

Have fun guys, and remember, always play with your food! Enjoy!

Comments: 2

I originally set out to make brownies but this experiment turned out a lot more quick bread-like and not so brownie-like.  However it’s still super tasty and full of chocolate goodness!

Andrea’s Chocolate Quinoa Bread

• 1C Whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2C Unbleached All-Purpose flour
• 1 1/2C Cooked quinoa
• 1/4C Cane sugar
• 1/4C Unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2tsp Baking powder
• 1tsp Baking soda
• 1/2tsp Ground cinnamon
• 1TBSP Ground flax
• Pinch salt
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 1/2C Crushed walnuts
• 1/2C Dark chocolate chips
• 1 1/4C Soymilk
• 1/2C Coffee
• 2tsp Vanilla Extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a brownie pan or 8inch square casserole dish with nonstick spray, set aside.   In a medium size mixing bowl combine the soymilk, vanilla, and coffee.  In a large mixing bowl combine all other ingredients except the walnuts and chocolate chips.  Whisk to get all ingredients combined and fluffed.  Add in the nuts and chocolate chips, then add in the soymilk mixture.  Gently stir until everything is combined and then add the mixture to the baking dish.  The batter is a bit thick so make sure that you even it out with a spoon once it’s in the baking dish.  Place in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

I would try but words really can’t describe the chocolate gloriousness of this cake.  It’s rich and decadent but not so heavy that you feel weighted down by dessert.  It’s full of whole grains, quinoa, and nuts making it packed with protein and lots of good stuff for you body.  Along with the antioxidants of the dark chocolate of course!

Even though this did not turn out like brownies, it still turned out and I’m really happy with that!  Sometimes I think a lot of us might be afraid to experiment in the kitchen because we are afraid of failing.  But sometimes those failures will turn into surprises successes!  You just never know until you try.

Have fun guys and remember, always play with your food!  Enjoy!

Comments: 5

From that point we were hooked and would purchase it on occasion when making a Whole Foods trip.  However, like most things at Whole Foods, their pudding was overpriced and on the small side (sorry WF but you know it’s true).  I decided to look into making my own.  I checked a few recipes online just to get a basic idea of what is needed, reviewed the ingredient list of the Whole Foods version and started experimenting.

What I am currently doing takes no more than like five minutes prep time and uses only four ingredients.  It’s still a work in progress but so far it’s damn tasty and when your husband begs you to make him some Vegan Chocolate Pudding, it’s safe to assume you are on the right track.

Andrea’s Vegan Chocolate Pudding

• 1 pkg. (1lb) of organic silken tofu
• 4TBSP (heaping) Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 4TBSP Maple Syrup
• Pinch (1/2tsp) of Organic Unrefined Cane Sugar

Drain as much of the liquid off of the tofu that you can and dump into a blender.  Add in the other ingredients and blend until everything is well combined.  Pour into a bowl, cover and refrigerate for about 2 hours.  Allowing the tofu to set back up.  Spoon into dishes and enjoy!

P.S. Or just eat straight from the bowl like we do!

I’m trying to experiment with different tofu textures because while this is a great pudding, it isn’t quite as thick as I would like it to be.  The one from Whole Foods was extremely thick and decadent but they also used silken tofu so I’m not sure how they achieved that.  I tried straining the tofu to get as much liquid out as I could but that didn’t really help matters.  I think maybe I need to not use the silken and try a slightly firmer tofu.

The pinch of cane sugar gives it just the right amount of sweetness that you won’t get from only using maple syrup.  I tried using only cane sugar and the texture ends up being a little bit grainy.  This combo works out really well, if you like sweeter though, then by all means use more sugar to suit your tastes.

You can use a food processor to mix if you don’t have a blender.

I like the concept because it presented me with a different way to view tofu.  Like I mentioned, I’m not a huge tofu fan.  The texture is weird and even marinaded, it tastes bland to me.  Creating this pudding gave me a chance to work with tofu in a new way and I realized that tofu doesn’t just have to be baked or stir-fried.  It has loads of possibilities!

This is a great tasting treat!  A lovely dessert that you can feel good about eating.  Pair it with some red wine and you have a great dessert on your hands.

Enjoy! And remember, always play your food!

Comments: 12

I have never eaten this snack mix before.  First of all it’s covered in powdered sugar which means it’s gonna be major sweet.  And secondly, it’s called Puppy Chow for frack’s sake.  I’m not eating that.  At the risk of sounding totally snotty, I don’t even feed my dog kibble, you think I’m gonna touch something that is named after some crappy dog food?

Fat chance.

I don’t know what prompted me to look into this snack mix a bit further but I did and realized that it’s pretty easy to make.

I decided to come up with my own recipe because most of the other recipes I saw used lots of butter or shortening.  Even the vegan versions used vegan shortening.

Totally unnecessary!  I knew I could come up with something better AND it’s not named after a really crappy dog food, it has a festive cute name instead.  If you don’t dig on Reindeer Crunch, feel free to call it “Stuff” or “Addicting” instead, I won’t be mad at ya.

Andrea’s Reindeer Crunch

• 4C of Kashi Honey Heart to Heart Cereal
• 2C Mini pretzels
• 1C Unsweetened Banana Chips
• 1.5C Dark chcolate chips
• 1/2C All natural Peanut Butter
• 1/2TBSP Coconut oil
• 2.5C Powdered sugar

In a very large bowl mix the cereal, pretzels, and banana chips together.  In a double boiler, melt the chocolate, peanut butter, and coconut oil together until smooth and creamy.  Remove from heat and pour over top of the mixture in the bowl.  Stir to make sure everything is coated with the chocolate mixture.  Start adding in the powdered sugar until everything is white and covered in sugar.

Immediately start stuffing your face with your new snack mix.

I used coconut oil in place of the butter and shortening I saw in other recipes.  I also decreased the amount a great deal.  Using several tablespoons of butter or shortening is totally unnecessary and a bit excessive.  In fact I don’t even think the coconut oil is even required.  I bet this would work just as well without it.

I like Kashi cereals but if you want to use Honey Nut Cheerios instead, knock yourself out.  That would work just fine.

You probably could melt the chocolate, peanut butter, and coconut oil in the microwave but a double boiler is super easy to make and I think results in a creamier better tasting chocolate.  If you want to try the microwave, give it a shot, I’m not making any promises though!

I do have two sticking points.

1. Don’t use crap chocolate, get good chocolate.  This means bypass the Hershey’s or store brand chips and get yourself some nice chocolate.  I used Ghirardelli 60% dark chocolate chips.

2. When I say all natural peanut butter, I mean it.  No Jif, or Skippy, or anything like that.  I am talking peanut butter where the ingredients consist of two items: peanuts and salt.  That’s it.  The kind of peanut butter you have to stir first and then store in the fridge.  Trust me, your body and your friends will thank you for this choice.

This is a recipe that is easy and can be done in like 5 minutes.  It’s also a recipe that can make a ton if you need it for parties or perhaps for some gift giving. :)

Happy Holidays!

Comments: 12