Peanut Butter Energy Bites

(makes 18-20 bites)

1 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)

1/3 cup honey

1 cup coconut flakes

1/2 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla

Mix everything above in a medium bowl until thoroughly incorporated. Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour. Once chilled, roll into balls and enjoy! Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

{note} When I made these, they were a bit dry. If you have that problem (which probably has t do with your peanut butter, as I always pour the oil off of my new jars of PB), just add more PB and honey until it will hold together.

*original recipe on smashedpeasandcarrots.blogspot.com

Peanut Butter Bars

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

In a mixing bowl, cream butter, sugars and peanut butter. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Combine flour, oats, baking soda and salt; stir into the creamed mixture. Spread into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool before cutting.

{note} The batter for these is really thick. I had to spread it in the pan like you do icing. Also, they would be good without the chocolate chips (or with peanut butter chips) if you don't do chocolate. I think they'd also turn out well with less sugar, but I've only made them the one time, so I don't know for sure.

Chocolate Coconut Oat Bars

{from Delicious Living, Feb 2011}

"With a classic macaroon texture, these egg-, dairy- and gluten-free bars are an adult chocolate indulgence. Kids, of course, will love them too."

2.5 C rolled oats
1 C almond meal/flour
1 C unsweetened shredded coconut (I used a finely shredded variety)
1/3 C cocoa powder
1/2 C coconut oil
1/2 C agave nectar (or honey)
1/2 C sugar
1 C bittersweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 275 deg. F. Combine oats, almond meal, coconut and cocoa powder in a large bowl. Mix well.

Combine coconut oil, agave nectar (or honey) and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves and mixture is hot (not boiling). Pour over oat mixture and stir until well mixed. Stir in the chocolate chips, quickly but thoroughly (they will melt).

Press mixture into an ungreased 8x8 pan and bake for 20 min. Remove from oven and cool completely. Cut into 24 small pieces.

[per serving] 184 cal, 12g fat (1g mono, 2g poly, 7g sat), 0mg chol, 3g protein, 2g fiber, 3mg sodium

Dark Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

1.5 cups oat flour
1 cup cocoa powder
1tsp baking powder
1tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp espresso powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup lowfat buttermilk
1tsp white vinegar
2 tsp vanilla
4 large egg whites
2 cups (not packed) brown sugar
1 cup light vanilla yogurt

1 recipe Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (follows)

line two 9" round cake pans with parchment and spray lightly with cooking spray.

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, soda, espresso powder and salt.

Use a sturdy whisk to mix buttermilk, vinegar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl until well combined. Whisk in the egg whites, brown sugar and yogurt until well blended. Mix in dry ingredients just until combined. Divide the batter and bake 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry.

Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Frost.

Frosting:
1.25 cups plus 2 Tbs butter, room temperature
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs light cream cheese, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
2.75 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
fat free milk as needed

Combine butter, cream cheese, vanilla and salt in a largew mixing bowl. Beat on high until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar and cocoa powder, beating until fluffy. If frosting is too thick, add milk, 1 tsp at a time until desired consistancy.


Frosted cake makes 14 servings:
294 cal, 6g protein, 59g carb, 6g fat, 3g saturated fat, 11mg chol, 4g fiber, 384 mg sodium

Essential Chocolate Cake

makes two 9x2" round cakes

2 cups AP or Cake flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup (10 2/3 Tbs) butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs + warm water
1 1/3 cups milk, preferably whole, warmed to room temperature

Spray two 9" round pans with cooking spray, line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper and lightly spray the parchment as well.

Place the eggs in a bowl of warm water to come up to room temperature.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, soda and salt, set aside.

Cream the sugar and butter. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each.

Add the flour mixture in 4 additions, alternating with the milk. Begin and end with flour. Spread into prepared pans and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

makes a 9x13" pan

1/2 C butter
1/2 C canola oil
1 3/4 C sugar
2 eggs

2 1/2 C whole wheat flour
1/4 C cocoa powder
1 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 C buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla

2 C shredded zucchini (peel and partially seed the zucchini first)

3/4 C chocolate chips
3/4 C chopped walnuts

Cream butter, oil and sugar. Add eggs, beat well.

Add dry ingredients and buttermilk. Stir in vanilla.

Stir in zucchini *by hand*.

Pour into a 9x13" pan and top with chocolate chips and walnuts.

Bake at 325 for 1 hour.

Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

makes 3 dozen

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1.5 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1.25 cups all purpose flour
1 standard bag of chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 375.

Cram butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla. Add salt and soda. Mix in flour. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoon-fuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 8 minutes, or until just turning golden brown around the edges.

Chocolate Crinkles

from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking

5 1/2 Tbs butter
1 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg
1/3 cup brewed coffee, cooled
1 3/4 cups spelt flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 cups chocolate chips

2/3 cup powdered sugar for dusting


Cream butter, sugar, vanilla, soda and salt. Beat in the egg and coffee, scraping the bowl, then stir in the flour, cocoa powder and chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough overnight.

Remove dough from refrigerator. Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease 2 cookie sheets. Place powdered sugar in a bag. Drop dough into powdered sugar by the tablespoon and shake to coat. Place coated balls of dough on cookie sheets and bake for 11 min, or until set around the edges and still soft in the middle. Remove from oven and loosen cookies on sheetwithout lifting after 10 min. allow to cool completely on the cookie sheet.

These cookies are delicate and may not travel well.

Derby Pie

A Kentucky classic...


2 deep dish or 3 regular pie crusts, unbaked and in pie plates (a shortbread crust is ultra-decadent)

Filling:
10 oz chocolate, melted (bittersweet or dark)
6 large eggs
1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 1/3 cups light corn syrup
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup bourbon (such as Maker's Mark)
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
4 cups (about 16 ounces) walnut halves, coarsely chopped and toasted


Preheat oven to 350.

Melt chocolate and spread in the bottom of the prepared pie crusts.

Whisk eggs in large bowl. Whisk in both sugars, then next 5 ingredients. Stir in walnuts. Divide filling into prepared crusts.

Bake pies until filling is puffed and just set in center (filling may begin to crack), about 55 minutes. Cool pies completely on rack.

Store at room temperature for a day, in the fridge for a few days or freeze for a couple of months. Serve at room temperature or warmed.

Homemade Thin Mints

Chocolate Wafers:
8 ounces organic butter, room temperature
1 cup organic powdered sugar, (I use Wholesome Sweeteners brand)
1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
1 cup cocoa powder (I use Dagoba's cacao powder)
3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

Chocolate Peppermint Coating:
1 pound good quality semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
natural peppermint oil to taste

Preheat your oven to 350. Racks in the middle zone.

Make the cookie dough: In a mixer cream the butter until it is light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and cream some more, scraping the sides of the bowl a couple times if necessary. Stir in the vanilla extract and then the salt and cocoa powder. Mix until the cocoa powder is integrated and the batter is smooth and creamy, sort of like a thick frosting. Add the whole wheat pastry flour and mix just until the batter is no longer dusty looking, it might still be a bit crumbly, and that's o.k. You don't want to over mix and end up with tough cookies.

Turn the dough out onto a counter, gather it into a ball, and kneed it just once or twice to bring it together into once nice, smooth mass. Place the ball of dough into a large plastic bag and flatten it into a disk roughly 3/4-inch thick. Place the dough in the freezer for 20 minutes to chill.

Rollout and bake: Remove the dough from the freezer and roll it out really thin, remember how thin Thin Mints are? That's how thin you need your dough, about 1/8-inch. You can either roll it out between two sheets of plastic, or dust your counter and rolling pin with a bit of flour and do it that way. Stamp out cookies using a 1 1/2-inch cutter (this time I used one with a fluted edge, I've done hearts and other shapes in the past). Place cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool completely on a baking rack if you've got one.

{NOTE} When I made these, I rolled the dough into a log and wrapped with plastic wrap. I stuck it in the fridge overnight and then sliced it thin with a sharp knife. I then baked as directed.

Make the peppermint coating:
While the cookies are in the oven you can get the coating ready. I use a makeshift double boiler to melt chocolate (a metal pan over a saucepan of gently simmering water), but I know many people who swear by melting chocolate in the microwave. Slowly melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally until it is glossy and smooth. Stir in the peppermint extract. I started with 1 tsp. If you think the chocolate needs a bit more peppermint kick, add more extract a drop or two at a time - but don't go overboard. If the chocolate is too thick and breaking your cookies, add a bit of flavorless oil (canola or veggie). The chocolate will then melt at lower temperatures (making cheap chocolate seem nicer), but that's not an issue if you're keeping them in the fridge or freezer.

Finishing the cookies: You are going to coat the cookies one at a time and then gently set them on a parchment-lined baking sheet to set. Drop one cookie into the chocolate and (using a fork) carefully make sure it gets fully coated. Lift the cookie out of the chocolate with the fork and bang the fork on the side of the pan to drain any extra chocolate off the cookie. You are after a thin, even coating of chocolate. Place on the aforementioned prepared baking sheet, and repeat for the rest of the cookies. Place the cookies in the refrigerator or freezer to set. They will set at room temperature, it just takes much longer, and I prefer them straight out of the freezer anyways ;)

Make 3 or 4 dozen cookies {NOTE} When using the log method, I got 6 dozen cookies out of a batch.

recipe found here

Chocolate Kahlua Cheesecake

A very rich and dense cheesecake, well worth the cost and time it takes to make.
serves 12-16

1.5 C Oreo Crumbs
1/4 C Butter, melted
***
24 oz Cream Cheese (3 packs)
1/4 C Sour Cream
1/4 C + 2T Kahula, divided
8 oz Good Chocolate, divided
1 C Sugar
1/3 C Cocoa Powder
3 Eggs
1 T Vanilla
1/4 C Evaporated Milk (or heavy cream)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8" spring form pan.

Combine cookie crumbs and butter. Press into bottom of pan and bake for 10 min.

Preheat oven to 400.

Melt 6 ounces of the chocolate. Add the sour cream and 1/4 C Kahlua, stir until well blended.

In a mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add cocoa, beating until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until just combined. Stir in vanilla and chocolate mixture. Pour over prepared crust and bake at 400 for 10 min. Reduce heat to 275 and continue baking for 45 min. Cool in oven with the door propped open.

Melt remaining 2 oz of chocolate. Stir in the evaporated milk (or cream) and remaining 2 T kahlua. Blend well. Spread on top of cake. Refrigerate for 6 hours.


Notes: I made it with the reduced fat cream cheese, light sour cream and Splenda... and sugar free oreos and it worked fantastically, so you can totally make it light and you'd never guess it wasn't awful for you.

Chocolate Situation

Okay, here we have it...

Shopping list:
18 ounces dark chocolate
5 eggs
1/2 cup Just Whites (or 4 past. eggs)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup sour cream
7 tablespoons espresso

note: this is just a list of the things you may not have on hand, it is not a complete ingredient list

Base Layer (make 2 days ahead)
1/4 cup water
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons white sugar (I used concentrated apple juice, further reduced by half)
9 ounces dark chocolate
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 300F. Line the bottom of an 8" spring form pan with wax paper and spray with cooking spray. Cover the bottom and sides of the pan with 3 layers of foil to prepare it for a waterbath.

In a small saucepan over medium heat combine the water, salt and sugar. Stir until completely dissolved and set aside.

Melt the chocolate and pour into the bowl of an electric mixer.

Cut the butter into pieces and beat the butter into the chocolate, 1 piece at a time. Beat in the hot sugar-water. Slowly beat in the eggs, one at a time.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Have a pan larger than the cake pan ready, put the cake pan in the larger pan and fill the pan with boiling water halfway up the sides of the cake pan.

Bake cake in the water bath at 300 for 45 minutes. The center will still look wet. Chill cake overnight in the pan.

Cheesecake Layer (make day before):
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened (I used reduced fat)
2/3 cup white sugar (I used apple juice concentrate that was further reduced by half)
2 eggs
5 ounces chocolate
1 tablespoon heavy cream
2/3 cup sour cream (I used light)
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons espresso
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare an 8" spring form pan by lining the bottom with wax paper and spraying with cooking spray.

In a medium sized bowl beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add sugar mixing until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time. Beat at low speed until very smooth.

Melt the chocolate in a pan or bowl set over boiling water, stir until smooth.
Add chocolate mixture to cream cheese mixture and blend well. Stir in cream, sour cream, salt, espresso, and vanilla; beat until smooth. Pour mixture into prepared pan.

Bake for 45 minutes. Center will be soft but will firm up when chilled. Do not over-bake. Leave cake in oven with the heat turned off and the door ajar for 45 minutes. Remove cake from oven and chill for 12 hours.

After the first two layers are chilled:Put the flourless cake layer on the bottom of the spring form pan. Carefully put the cheesecake on top of it. Put the rim of the pan back on. Cover and chill until the day you plan to serve it, at least 4 hours.

The morning or afternoon before you plan to serve the cake, make the final layer:

Top Layer:
4 oz Dark Chocolate
2 T Butter
4 Eggs, seperated (or use 1/2 cup Just Whites and skip the yolks- it'll still work)
1/4 C Heavy Cream
4 T Sugar, seperated (or Splenda)
1t Vanilla

Melt chocolate and butter together until just melted, using a double boiler. Remove from heat. Add egg yolks, mix throughly and set aside.

Beat egg whites and 2T of sugar until stiff. Fold into chocolate mixture. Whip cream, vanilla and remaining sugar until stiff. Fold into chocolate mixture. Spread the mousse on top of the other 2 layers in the spring form pan and cover with plastic wrap. Chill at least 4 hours before serving.

Right before serving:Whip remaining cream with a dash of sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla. Serve alongside the Situation.

Serves 12-16 (depending on how big you slice it)