Tag Archive: Chocolate Chips

Hearty Grain-Free Chocolate Chip Muffins

Written on April 25, 2016 by in Breakfast

Hearty Grain-Free Chocolate Chip Muffins

This month Stonyfield asked their Clean Plate Club to get creative with yogurt and some unconventional ingredients. We got some Barlean‘s items included coconut oil and ground flaxseeds. As a gluten-free baker, I like incorporating nut flour in place of regular flour when possible because it’s not just adding structure, it’s adding nutrients. 

I decided to make these healthy muffins as a grab-and-go breakfast for the week. They didn’t rise very much while in the oven which worried me a little. Still, they had the best texture of a gluten-free muffin I’ve ever had–moist and dense but not too thick or chewy.

While they were undoubtedly best straight from the oven, the flax and coconut oil kept the muffins from drying out even days later. And since it’s full of nuts and seeds instead of grains, it felt like a better breakfast, too. 

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In order to make these muffins a little healthier, try swapping out the chocolate chips for chopped walnuts or pecans. You could switch out the french vanilla yogurt for plain yogurt to cut out some of the sugar, but be sure to add a little vanilla extract if you do. 

Hearty Grain-Free Chocolate Chip Muffins

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 12 muffins):

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a small bowl, mix the Forti-Flax and water and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon and mix until even.
  4. Add in the yogurt, maple syrup, eggs, and flax mixture and stir until it forms a thick batter.
  5. Lastly, add in the culinary coconut oil and mix until it’s fully emulsified in the batter.
  6. Evenly pour out the batter between 12 lined muffin wells.
  7. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top of the muffins are firm.
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Strawberry Jam Brownies

Written on January 29, 2015 by in Dessert

Strawberry Jam Brownies

When you’re gluten-free, picking through Ben & Jerry’s flavors just isn’t as exciting. I’m sure that they make amazing cookie dough-infused moose tracks with fudge-covered red velvet cake chunks, but I’ll never know what that’s like. Just when I was ready to stop rifling through their section they came out with their Core flavors and reeled me back in.

I can’t get enough of their That’s My Jam chocolate ice cream with a core of pure jam. I’ve always liked the pairing of chocolate and jam before but now chocolate just tastes boring without some preserves spread on top. I tried to make a brownie as close as you can get without visiting the freezer. 

Strawberry Jam

Strawberry Jam Brownies

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 1 8 x 8 pan):

  • 1 cup all-purpose or gluten-free flour
  • 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 4oz baking chocolate
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup strawberry jam
  • 1/3 cup chocolate chips(optional)
  • 1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts(optional)

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Mix together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder.
  3. Beat in the eggs, sugar, and vanilla until mixed.
  4. In a separate bowl, melt together 4 ounces of chocolate along with the butter.
  5. Slowly pour the melted chocolate and butter into the batter while whisking until fully incorporated. Add in 1/4 cup of jam and the chips and hazelnuts if using and stir until mixed. 
  6. Pour the batter in a greased 8 x 8 pan.
  7. Add the rest of the jam on top of the batter and spread out in a thin layer on top, reaching to all the edges.
  8. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean. Let these cool completely before cutting in.
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Gluten-Free Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Written on August 6, 2014 by in Dessert

Gluten-Free Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies can be as polarizing as politics. Some like chewy while others like crisp. Should they have nuts in them? Are raisins even a question? Everyone has an opinion.

After Pinterest did a Q&A with me my coworkers were interested to try something gluten-free. One of them asked me if I knew any good cookie recipes for his cousin and it seemed like as good a place to start as any. 

Lucky for me, when I brought them into work they didn’t stir up any chewy vs. crispy debates and they were all gone by lunch time–a success! They’re more chewy than crispy, not too sweet, and just rich enough to hit all the right notes. It’s hard to argue with chocolate chips and shredded coconut.

Gluten-Free Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Probably the best thing to keep on hand for gluten-free baking is a bag of gluten-free all purpose flour you can use in recipes without having to mix ten different flours you’re not familiar with. I like Bob’s Red Mill’s but there are tons of different brands out there; try them out and find your favorite.

Gluten-Free Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 2 dozen cookies):

  • 1 1/2 cup gluten-free all purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Gluten-Free Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Method:

  1. In a large bowl, mix together your flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar.
  2. Add in the eggs, vanilla, peanut butter and melted butter and mix.
  3. Add in the shredded coconut and chocolate chips and continue mixing until it forms a thick dough. If your dough is too dry add milk by the tablespoon until it’s just wet enough to stick together.
  4. Put the dough in your refrigerator and preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
  5. After 15 minutes of chilling, roll the dough into 1-inch balls.
  6. Put the doughballs onto a non-stick baking tray and bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges brown.
  7. Remove from the oven and let sit for 20 minutes before trying to move.
  8. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
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Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal Cookies

Written on June 8, 2014 by in Dessert

Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal Cookies

Everyone has a go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe but not many have a go-to oatmeal cookie recipe.

As soon as I pulled these out of the oven and tasted them these became mine.

Chex is launching this month a line of oatmeal including flavored oatmeal packets and sent me some to try. I’m glad gluten-free oats aren’t a “specialty” food anymore and it’s easier to get classics like packaged oatmeal. The maple brown sugar flavor was by far the best breakfast I’ve had in a while.

Instead of loose oatmeal this recipe uses quick-cooking packaged oatmeal. It’s an easy way to add a lot of flavor. When you’re baking it’s better to use quick-cooking oats than rolled oats because they’ll bake faster and softer. 

Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal Cookie Ingredients

I made mine with chocolate chips, but if you wanted to make these healthier you could add chopped walnuts, pecans, or even dried blueberries! Basically, if you’d have it with a bowl of oatmeal, it’s going to go great with these cookies. 

Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal Cookies

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 14 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 24 cookies):

  • 3 packets Chex gluten-free maple brown sugar oatmeal
  • 1 cup all-purpose gluten-free or regular flour
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 stick butter, softened
  • 2 eggs

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 
  2. In a large bowl, mix together the oatmeal packets, flour, sugar, chocolate chips, and baking powder.
  3. Add in the vanilla extract, butter, and eggs and mix thoroughly until it makes a soft dough.
  4. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and flatten them out just a bit before putting them on a nonstick baking tray. 
  5. Bake for 12-14 minutes until the bottoms begin to brown. 
  6. Remove from the oven and let cool. Store in an airtight container for up to a week. 
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Low-Fat Chocolate Coconut Loaves

Written on March 25, 2014 by in Dessert

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I hate the word low-fat, because instantly it conjures up thoughts of dried pastries and a total lack of flavor. That’s nothing anything like these loaves are, soft and bursting with a sweet flavor right out of the oven.

Instead of butter or oil, these are made with two favorite tricks: Greek yogurt and evaporated milk. They’re much better options in baking than low-fat or non-fat margarine because of the simple ingredients and don’t change the flavor.

I used a mini-loaf pan because that was what I had, and the portioning worked out perfectly. Just reheat one at a time and it’s like having a freshly baked breakfast. Since low-fat pastries dry out faster, I’d recommend freezing half of the batch and thawing it later in the week(if you think the first batch will last that long).

Low-Fat Chocolate Coconut Loaves

Low-Fat Chocolate Coconut Loaves

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 8 mini-loaves or 1 large loaf):

  • 1 3/4 cups +2 Tablespoons gluten-free all purpose flour(or wheat flour)
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes
  • 1 5oz can fat-free evaporated milk
  • 1 5.3oz vanilla Stonyfield Greek
  • 3 eggs

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda, chocolate chips, and coconut flakes until well mixed.
  3. Add in the rest of the ingredients and beat until it forms a thick batter.
  4. Grease 8 mini-loaf pans or one large one and pour the batter in.
  5. Bake for 25 minutes or until the loaves rise and the center has set. If you’re making one large loaf, wait 40-50 minutes before checking if it’s done.
  6. Remove from the oven and let cool before removing from the pan and slicing.

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Black & White Chex Mix

Written on March 7, 2014 by in Dessert, Snack

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Did you know today’s national cereal day? I probably wouldn’t have if the people at Chex cereal didn’t tell me and invite me to celebrate.

I really need a calendar with these fun food holidays like national cereal day, national peanut butter day, and—of course—national margarita day(which was thoroughly celebrated). I even forgot the Oscars were last weekend until that day, but thankfully I already had this classy snack to watch it with.

Black tie events are not my style but white and dark chocolate most certainly are. This Chex mix has a good balance of flavors; it’s a perfect class act for an award show party or just a football party. And it’s fairly easy to put together, too.

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When you’re making this recipe, just like any other recipe that involves melting chocolate, make sure to pick a brand you trust and know melts well. Some chocolate chips have too many preservatives added to them and seize up instead of melting. Anything that markets itself as baking chocolate is a good bet for melting.

Black & White Chex Mix

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes about 8 servings):

  • 2 cups chocolate Chex cereal, divided
  • 2 cups vanilla Chex cereal, divided
  • 2/3 chocolate chips, divided
  • 2/3 white chocolate chips, divided

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Method:

  1. In a large bowl mix together 1 cup chocolate Chex cereal, 1 cup vanilla Chex cereal, 1/3 cup white chocolate chips, and 1/3 cup chocolate chips.
  2. Melt the remaining chocolate chips over the stove or in a microwave.
  3. While the chocolate is melted, mix in the remainder of the chocolate Chex cereal until it’s well-coated.
  4. Pour the chocolate covered Chex onto a non-stick surface and gently flatten into a single layer.
  5. Repeat the same process with the white chocolate chips and vanilla Chex.
  6. Let the Chex sit until the chocolate has rehardened.
  7. Break up the chocolate covered Chex into bite-sized chunks.
  8. Mix the chocolate covered Chex in with the rest of the ingredients well.
  9. Serve at room temperature or store in a cool, dry place.

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Loaded Peanut Butter Cookies

Written on February 18, 2014 by in Dessert

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It’s a good think I never made a resolution to eat less sugar because if I did I’d be doing horribly at it.

I always like to have something sweet after dinner, whether it’s part of a chocolate bar or just a handful of chocolate chips. That’s probably why I buy a bag and end up finishing it before actually making a recipe. Oops.

These cookies are simple because all I had this weekend in my pantry was simple ingredients. But simple can be all you need.

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Loaded Peanut Butter Cookies

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 18 cookies):

  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 3/4 cup cane sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/3 cup chocolate chips
  • 1/3 cup peanut butter chips

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Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl, beat together the peanut butter, sugar, egg, vanilla and baking soda.
  3. Fold in the chocolate and peanut butter chips evenly.
  4. Roll the dough into 1-ounce balls. Lightly press down on the balls with a fork in a criss-cross pattern to flatten it to about 3/4-inch thickness.
  5. Bake for 12-14 minutes until the tops are firm to the touch and the edges begin to brown.
  6. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool before moving to a separate plate.

 

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Chocolate Almond Granola Bars

Written on August 16, 2013 by in Snack

Chocolate Almond Granola Bars

I’m a snacker. I can’t imagine how somebody could go from lunch all the way to dinner time without snacking on something. Seriously, how do they do it? I’m usually reaching for a candy bar or bag of popcorn at 3pm and more often than not know I should be eating something healthier.

I first made these bars last Summer and they disappeared as quickly as they set. They’re unbelievably delicious for something that takes 10 minutes to make with simple ingredients. This time around I used homemade chocolate cashew butter in place of the almond butter because it’s what I had on-hand and they tasted just as good if not better.

Chocolate Almond Granola Bars Drizzled

Just like the first time I made these, I used candied ginger instead of dried fruit. I love a little bit of spice with my chocolate. I’d highly recommend chopping your almonds and fruit before adding them to the batter because the larger portions will make your granola bars harder to cut in the final step.

Chocolate Almond Granola Bars

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 8 to 10 bars):

  • 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup almond butter
  • 1/4 cup honey**
  • 1 cup oats*
  • 1 1/2 cups chocolate rice crisps cereal*
  • 1/2 cup almonds, crushed or sliced
  • 1/2 cup dried fruit
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

*To make these granola bars gluten-free, make sure these two ingredients are certified gluten-free.

**Use 3 Tablespoons of agave to make these vegan.

Chocolate Almond Granola Bars Uncut

Method:

  1. In a microwave or over a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips.
  2. Stir in the almond butter and honey until smooth.
  3. Add in the oats, cereal, almonds, dried fruit, and salt and mix until everything is completely covered.
  4. Line an 8 x 8 baking tray with wax paper. Dump the batter into the pan and press down into an even layer.
  5. Refrigerate the bars until they’ve hardened—about 20-30 minutes.
  6. With a sharp knife, cut the bars in half horizontally and into quarters vertically into 8 2 x 4 bars.
  7. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Chocolate Almond Granola Bars Uncut Stacked

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Oatmeal Energy Bars

Written on August 13, 2013 by in Dessert, Snack

Oatmeal Energy Bars

These bars were something of a fail, but definitely one worth sharing.

I love granola bars, prepackaged snack—basically anything from the grocery store that calls itself healthy and has too much sugar in it. They’re always delicious and the right portion but usually overpriced. Why not make your own?

Well, these taste much fresher than your typical grocery store splurge and that’s their only flaw. They’re somewhere between a chewy brownie and a granola bar which is a texture that takes some getting used to. Besides that the ingredients are simple and wholesome and full of fiber.

Oatmeal Energy Bars Done

While the chocolate definitely makes this look like a dessert, it’s not that sweet and the texture is more chewy than cakey. It’s a great power snack or something to pack in a lunchbox that’s a little healthier than other desserts.

Oatmeal Energy Bars

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 16 squares):

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour(whole grain or gluten-free are good substitutes)
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 3/4 cup peanut butter, separated
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Oatmeal Energy Bars Ingredients

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl mix together the flour and the oats.
  3. In a separate bowl, beat together 1/2 of cup peanut butter, oil, brown sugar, vanilla, salt, egg, and water until smooth.
  4. Mix together the dry and wet ingredients until they form a batter.
  5. Lightly oil an 8 x 8 pan and pour the batter in in an even level.
  6. Bake for 30 minutes or until the center has set.
  7. Melt the chocolate chips and remaining 1/4 cup of peanut butter together and mix until they make a ganache.
  8. Pour the chocolate on top of the baked good and spread it out evenly.
  9. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour until the chocolate has set.
  10. Slice into squares before serving.

Oatmeal Energy Bars Ganache

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Easy Reese’s Fudge

Written on July 9, 2013 by in Dessert

Easy Reese's Fudge Serving

On a trip to New York a couple weeks ago, I had an hour to kill in Times Square. It’s probably no surprise I made a beeline for the M&M store and then quickly followed over to the Hershey’s store. Anywhere that sells that much chocolate should be a tourist destination in itself.

I still had chocolate on the brain after getting home from that trip and had to make this fudge. Surprisingly I hadn’t made microwave fudge in about a year so this was long overdue. Adding a little bit of Reese’s peanut butter cups was the perfect touch to these; if anything deserves a pairing with chocolate it’s peanut butter.

Easy Reese's Fudge Candies

I used dark chocolate chips which made the fudge a little less sweet but gave a good contrast to the peanut butter cups. Instead of the fun-sized Reese’s cups you could use full-sized ones cut into more pieces or the new unwrapped miniatures.

Easy Reese’s Fudge

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes about 20 servings):

  • 1 10oz bag chocolate chips
  • 1 4oz stick unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 10 fun-sized Reese’s, chopped into fourths

Easy Reese's Fudge Yield

Method:

  1. Melt together the chocolate chips and butter in a bowl.
  2. In a separate bowl, mix together the milk and powdered sugar until the sugar dissolves.
  3. Mix the milk in with the melted chocolate and butter and beat until smooth.
  4. Pour the hot fudge into a greased 8-inch loaf pan. You can add wax paper as a liner to make the removal and clean up easier.
  5. Sprinkle the chopped up Reese’s on top of the fudge and press it in gently with your hand.
  6. Refrigerate the fudge until it hardens, about 2 hours.
  7. With a sharp knife, slice the fudge into 1-inch squares. Keep it in the refrigerator when not enjoying.

Easy Reese's Fudge2

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