Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

April 24, 2016April 24, 20162 Comments

Miracles happen.

I’m back to blogging, and you’re going to hate me. I made cupcakes.

I know cupcakes are so 2008.

Since I’ve been wedding planning, (Side note: we’re 4 months away. Where did time go? We have a wedding website. This means it’s happening) I’ve become acutely aware of wedding trends. Cupcakes are no longer cool. Layer cakes are in (which I’ve loved probably since 2008).

BUT cupcakes are so handy for outdoor events. The weather up here in the Bay Area has been hit or miss recently, but today we’re heading outdoors for a bubble soccer birthday celebration. I’m always the person who volunteers to bring a cake, but sometimes don’t you just want a dang cupcake?

They’re cute. They’re simple. They’re delicious.

Eat a cupcake. Feel free to listen to the Buena Vista Social Club station on Pandora while you make and eat them. That’s what I’m doing and it’s amazing.

These cupcakes have become by go to recipe. They’re a crowdpleaser and the frosting isn’t sickeningly sweet.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

cupcakes from Hershey’s, Buttercream from Me?

For cupcakes:

2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Cocoa Powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk (I used almond milk and it was a-okay!)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

For Vanilla Buttercream:

3 egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
3 sticks of butter (I know… seriously 3), softened
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Make your cupcakes. Preheat oven to 350F. Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Lastly beat in boiling water. The batter is really runny but trust me, it’s delicious.

Line cupcake pan with liners of choice (the cuter the better). Fill each liner with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test (note: 15 minutes is the perfect amount for me). Repeat until all batter is gone. I usually get 24-26 cupcakes out of this recipe.

Allow to cool completely. Then make frosting.

Whisk together egg whites and sugar in your stand mixer bowl. Place over a pot of boiling water (make sure water isn’t touching the bowl), stir it every so often until the egg whites become hot and you can no longer feel the sugar granules. There’s probably an appropriate temperature that it needs to reach but I have no idea what that is. I just touch it.

Transfer to the mixer and whip using the whisk attachment until they’ve formed stiff peaks.

Remove the whisk attachment and change to the paddle attachment for your mixer. Add vanilla. Then start to beat in butter until the butter is incorporated and it’s smooth. If you want here you can add any flavoring.

I’ve done peanut butter, dulce de leche, caramel, strawberry jam. They’re all magic. Or you can just stick with vanilla and be a happy camper.

I like to chill my frosting a little bit before frosting because I find it easier to work with. Just about 10 minutes. Give it a try.

Frost your cupcakes and decorate as you like. Sprinkles are encouraged.

Take them to a party and feed them to your friends.

Happy Sunday! Hope you’re enjoying the day Game of Thrones returns! (<—- ok read

Flourless Peanut Butter Brownies

July 12, 20153 Comments

I’ve generally been of the opinion that if you want dessert, just eat dessert. But recently, I’ve been interested in trying out healthier dessert options, because it sounds sort of fun. So to get started on that track I turned to Pinterest.

I can’t really take credit for this recipe. I made a few changes to the original but for the most part, I need to give credit where credit is due (aka thanks Skinny Taste). I’m still learning the ropes of healthy baking (which I used to do all the time, but apparently have completely forgotten), so I’m relying on some awesome recipes out there.

Now that I’ve tried a few successful ones, I can start experimenting with my own concoctions.

Sometimes when I look at healthy recipes, I worry the finished product is going to be gross. Don’t lie. I know you worry about this too.

The reality is we need to adjust our expectations. Most of the time, a recipe that includes no butter and sugar and calls itself dessert will NOT be the same as a traditional dessert recipe. So if you’re looking to make these brownies and expecting the gooey, chewy deliciousness of Ghiradelli Box Mix, you will be disappointed.

(Side note: These Caramel Pretzel Brownies will not disappoint)

These Flourless Peanut Butter Brownies are tasty, but let’s be real. They’re not like those awesome and chewy box mix brownies. The texture is more spongey. That said, they’re pretty great considering they are completely flourless and low in sugar. If you’re wondering about the nutrition for 1 piece (and I cut this into 12 pieces), each serving is under 100 calories and has 5g of protein and 9g of sugar.

I found this idea of using powdered peanut butter instead of flour and thought it was perfect since Peanut Butter & Co. sent me some of their new Mighty Nut Powdered Peanut Butter to try. Why hadn’t I thought of that before? I’ll definitely be giving this a try again and making new recipes with powdered peanut butter.

Flourless Peanut Butter Brownies

adapted from Skinny Taste

1 egg
1 egg white
1 cup chocolate powdered peanut butter (I used Chocolate Mighty Nut)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp coffee (or water)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Pre-heat oven to 325F. Grease and line a 9×9 inch square pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat together egg and egg white. Add powdered peanut butter, cocoa powder, baking and start to mix in. Add water, maple syrup and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Spread batter into prepared pan. The batter will be thick, mine didn’t actually fill the whole 9×9 inch pan, but it worked.

Bake 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely and cut into 12 squares. Serve and enjoy!

I was pretty surprised at how tasty these were. I’m not sure if it’s because it was the first dessert I had in about a week or if they really were good. I’m going to give some to some friends later to see if they think they’re awesome too. Remember, it’s all about expectations right?

The other expectation is that you enjoy these while binge-watching House of Cards on Netflix. I finally got around to season 3 and destroyed it this weekend while Jesse was away backpacking.

How was your weekend? Do you love healthy desserts or prefer to stick to regular ones in moderation?

Chocolate Peanut Butter Goji Berry Pie

March 16, 2015March 25, 201523 Comments

Before I went to Thailand, I got an email from Peanut Butter & Co. about a Mystery Ingredient Challenge they were doing this month. The deal was: they send me peanut butter and a mystery ingredient, then I make something tasty with it.

Of course, I was excited about it because…

1. I love peanut butter.

2. I love making things with peanut butter.

After a few weeks my mystery ingredient arrived: Goji Berries.

I have to tell you. I had never tried goji berries. I imagined sweet little dried fruits, but actually they’re pretty tart! I was excited to see what I could pair with goji berries other than peanut butter. Then conveniently, pie day happened…

So of course, I had to make a pie. Then the idea came: rich chocolate ganache with peanut butter and goji berries.

It really was as awesome as it sounds (and looks?).

Chocolate Peanut Butter Goji Berry Pie

1 Graham Cracker Crust (store bought or homemade)
1 cup heavy cream
9 ounces dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup Smooth Operator Peanut Butter
1/4 dried goji berries (plus extra for garnish)
1/4 tsp coarse seal salt (optional)

Heat heavy cream in a saucepan with goji berries. This way they’ll soften and plump up. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, combine chocolate chips and peanut butter.

Pass cream through a strainer and pour hot cream on chocolate and peanut butter. Let it sit a few minutes and stir to combine.

Take the rehydrated goji berries and place in the bottom of the graham cracker crust.

Pour chocolate mixture on top. Garnish with goji berries and coarse sea salt (optional). Chill for 4 hours and serve with whipped cream.

This turned out great! It was dense, not too sweet and a great balance of flavors. It’s got sweet, sour (from the goji berries), bitter from the dark chocolate and a touch of sea salt on top really balances it all out.

Also, can we talk about how easy it is?

I didn’t have time to get photos of the slices, because I took it to a Pi(e) Day party, because I wanted to be sure to get this up in time for a giveaway!

Peanut Butter & Co. is giving one Foodologie reader a free Peanut Butter & Co. Prize Pack!

To Enter: Leave a comment on this blog post telling me your favorite way to enjoy Goji Berries OR if you’ve never tried them… what would you like to eat them with?

~~The giveaway ends Monday March 23rd! So be sure to enter and tell your friends about it too!~~

WINNER: Mary W! Winner has been emailed 😀 Thanks for entering!

P.S. I have a few more Peanut Butter/Goji recipes up my sleeve. Stay tuned!

Chocolate Dipped Dates with Pistachios and Sea Salt

December 31, 20147 Comments

Happy New Year!

The new year is upon us and like everyone else, I’m wondering what happened to 2014. It flew by, but it was a great year.

I’m grateful for 2014 and excited for 2015. This year was full of great things…

Like pie of course and healthy things like Avocado Pesto Hummus

and my new obsession with zucchini noodles:

I also did a lot of things I didn’t document on the blog, like when I went to Philadelphia and ran a half marathon

That was tons of fun.

I also went to weddings, hung out with friends, went wine tasting, got better at crossfit, got better at my job. So many wonderful things, all that weren’t documented anywhere. I’m ok with that. I took a step back from blogging this year, and I’m happy with that decision.

This isn’t the end of Foodologie. No, no. Foodologie is alive and well, but I’m hoping Foodologie will change in 2015.

After all, change is good.

So let’s celebrate change and the coming of a new year with a treat, something simple and sweet:

Dates.

Delicious and naturally sweet, dipped in dark chocolate then sprinkled with chopped pistachio and sea salt. It’s decadent and delicious, as the New Year should be.

Dates Dipped in Chocolate with Pistachios and Sea Salt

24 dates
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (I used 60% cacao)
1 tsp coconut oil
1/4 cup pistachios, finely chopped
1 tsp coarse sea salt

Place your dates on a parchment paper lined dish.

In a bowl, melt together chocolate and coconut oil in the microwave. Put it in for 20 seconds, then stir. Repeat until melted and smooth.

Dip dates into chocolate, then place on parchment paper. Sprinkle with pistachios and sea salt. Chill for a few hours, then serve!

I haven’t had them yet but I bet they’ll go perfect with champagne.

I hope this recipe is indicative of what Foodologie will be in 2015: fun, simple and delicious.

Happy New Year! I wish you the very best in 2015 and thanks so much for reading!

Almond Joy Chocolate Chip Cookies and the Second #C2CCS

October 22, 2014October 21, 20144 Comments

Hi friends! I’ve been on the DL the past few weeks. I’m in a sort of blogging/life rut, so I had been taking a bit of a break. Luckily, I have some blogger friends to help get me out of the rut.

One of my favorite parts of blogging is getting to know people. I know it sounds silly and cliche, but I’ve made a few real life friends as a result of blogging. Real life friends are amazing (looking at you Allison and Samantha), but it’s also great to make friends online, especially when they motivate you to bake treats and send you some.

You might remember last year, I made some Molasses Ginger Apricot Cookies? Then I sent those cookies to some ladies and they sent me some cookies back and we called it the Coast to Coast Cookie Swap. Well here is the second installment of that! Because isn’t sending your friends cookies a good idea? It is!

Planning what kinds of cookies to send to other foodie/cookie lovers is hard. I brainstormed for a while and these cookies turned up by mistake. I wanted to make some cookies for a coworker who was doing an awesome job. I liked them so much I decided they needed to happen again. I’ve actually made these cookies three times in the past two weeks.

Trust me. They’re worth it.

In exchange for these cookies, I received a few goodies in the mail:

White Chip Cranberry Cookies from Natalie

Delicious Spiced Cookies from Coco

Take 5 Cookies from Jazzy

Additionally, Allison made some Grain Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies that I wish I got to try!

Let’s be honest, exchanging cookies (or all baked goods in general) is an amazing idea. You should try it. Start by making these and sharing them with your friends.

Almond Joy Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 stick of butter
1 cup + 2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4-1/2 cup roasted coconut chips
1/4-1/2 cup honey roasted sliced almonds

Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add 1 egg, then vanilla and continue to be beat for about a minute. Add in flour mixture. Mix until almost combined. Fold in chocolate chips, coconut and almonds until dough is just combined. Be careful not to overmix the dough, if not you’ll get flat cookies!

Place dough in the freezer while oven preheats to 350F.

Once oven has pre-heated, form dough into walnut sized balls. Place on parchment paper-lined pan and bake for 8-12 minutes, or until golden around the edges.

After a few minutes, transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely then share with a friend and enjoy!

What’s your favorite cookie to share with a friend?

P.S. Sharing cookies is awesome, but baking with a friend is even more fun! Check out these Salted Caramel Eclairs I made with Sam at the Little Ferraro Kitchen!

The Best Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

April 10, 2014April 9, 201411 Comments

I pretty much always wish I had a reason to make a cake. The more I think about it, it’s one of the reasons I love weddings, because I think wedding cakes are amazing. Tonight I had a conversation with some ladies about wedding media. Wedding sites, blogs, shows magazines are all geared at woman. The wedding is portrayed as entirely about the woman, which to me seems a little unfair, given that the woman is only one half of the equation.

But in the conversation, one of the things I pointed out is that part of my fascination with wedding media is the aesthetic. I think weddings are beautiful. I think cakes are beautiful. That’s probably why I love food blogs too, because I think the photography is pretty.

Most of the time when I see a beautiful cake my first thought is I want to make that, then second, I want to eat that. For me, making cakes is fun. I love making them look beautiful, but I also love making them taste good.

Because really, isn’t a layer cake just one of the prettiest things out there?

While I always want to make cakes, there isn’t always an occasion to make a cake. I originally made this cake for a birthday/going away party for friends. But it was so popular and pretty that I wanted to make it again and photograph it.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. I think it just means I appreciate aesthetics. So if you want to make a cake for a special ocassion or no reason at all other than to please yourself… please do!

And as a bonus, it’s amazingly delicious and the perfect 6-inch cake.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

For Cake (adapted from Hershey’s Chocolate Cake):

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp flour
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 cup milk (I used almond milk)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup boiling water

For Filling:

2 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
7 oz sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup whipping cream

For Frosting:

2 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 big pinch of cream of tartar*
1 pinch of salt

For Chocolate Ganache:

3 oz bitter sweet chocolate chips
1/4 heavy cream
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Make Cake.

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and line with parchment paper 2 (6-inch) cake pans, set aside. In a stand mixer bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Add eggs, oil, milk and vanilla. Beat together. Add boiling water and beat until combined. Pour batter evenly between both 6-inch cake pans. Bake 25-30 minutes (this might vary based on your oven so start checking for readiness after 20 minutes, especially if using a convection oven) or until cooked through (i.e. do the toothpick test: insert toothpick, once it comes out clean, it’s ready).

Allow to cool completely.

In the meantime, make the filling. Beat together cream cheese, condensed milk and peanut butter. In a separate bowl, whip heavy cream into firm peaks. Fold whipped cream into peanut butter mixture, refrigerate until ready to use.

Next make your frosting.

Place a glass bowl over a sauce pan that has about 1 inch of water in it, make sure the water is not touching the bottom of the bowl (aka build a double boiler). Add egg whites, sugar, vanilla extract, cream of tartar and salt. Mix together. Heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves and the egg whites are warm when you touch them.

Transfer egg white mixture to a stand mixer and attach whisk attachment. Stir on low and turn up the speed every 15 seconds or so until it’s on high speed. Beat 5-7 minutes or until glossy, stiff peaks form.

Now assemble the cake. Level your layers and slice in half, so you have 4 layers (you’ll notice in my photo I only had 3 layers, you can accidentally drop one on the floor and have 3 layers as well… that’s allowed, but not advised). Place your first layer on your cake circle or cake dish of choice. Lay some filling on top of the first layer and spread evenly, press on second layer, it’s ok if it overflows a bit. Repeat until all layers are complete.

Next, frost with a generous layer of frosting.

Place in the fridge while you make your ganache. Place chocolate chips in a bowl and set aside. In a small sauce pan, heat heavy cream and vanilla stirring constantly until it comes to a light boil. Pour cream over chocolate chips. Let sit for a minute, then stir until smooth. Pour over cake and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Allow to cool completely, then slice and serve.

I had hopes and dreams of making a beautiful vide to go along with this blog post, but I’m still working on perfect my video making skills… but in case you’re curious… here’s my first attempt:

Not the prettiest video, but I’ll take it for a first try! We can’t expect to make gorgeous creations the first time around, and I’m cool with that.

So tell me, are you a fan of layer cakes, weddings and pretty things? Are you overloaded with wedding stuff? Don’t even see it? Is a cake just a cake for you?

Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Hazelnut Buttercream Frosting

March 16, 2014March 13, 20147 Comments

I’ve been a little bit out of control with my sugar intake this week. But that’s totally ok. Monday will start a new week and we’ll be good to go with some more clean eating. But before that, let’s talk cupcakes.

A few weeks ago, Nocciolata sent me some samples of their tasty chocolate hazelnut spread to try. It’s seriously amazing and is certified organic, which cool! I really like that this has actual recognizable ingredients in it. Now, you might remember that I loooooove chocolate hazelnut spread (aka I went crazy with Nutella when I lived in Rome and gained 15lbs, no joke) and my favorite combo by far is chocolate/hazelnut + banana.

So with these samples sitting in my house, I tested out a few recipes for chocolate hazelnut frosting. I failed 3 times and finally went back to the basics: buttercream. Buttercream is delicious and always pleasing. And I knew that the frosting I created would go perfectly with banana cupcakes. So that brings us to these guys:

BananaCupcakeswchochazelnutfrosting1

Lately, the world has gotten ridiculous on the cupcake frosting front (myself included), but sometimes you just want to have a cupcake that looks homemade. You know, like spread with a knife. No fancy piping bags necessary.

Something familiar, comforting and tasty (like chocolate hazelnut spread). Let’s concentrate on flavor, not on looks, because that’s really what this spread is all about: Great Taste.

Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Hazelnut Buttercream Frosting

For Cupcakes:
1 cup + 1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp corn starch
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1/2 cup sugar, heaping
1 egg
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp whole milk
1/2 tsp vinegar
1 tsp vanilla

Frosting:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup chocolate hazelnut spread
3-4 cups powdered sugar

Make cupcakes. Pre-heat oven to 350F. In a bowl combine flour, corn starch, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Using a mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add egg and beat for another minute. Add mashed bananas and beat for another minute. Add remaining wet ingredients then start to add dry ingredients. Beat until combined.

Fill lined cupcake pan with 1/4 cup of batter each (or until each cupcake slot is about 3/4 the way full). Bake 15-18 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Remove from oven and set aside to cool completely. This recipe will yield about 13-14 cupcakes.

Next make the frosting. Beat together butter and chocolate hazelnut spread. Gradually add powered sugar until it gets a thick spreadable consistency. If it’s too thick, thin out with a bit of milk. Spread frosting on cupcakes. Top with sprinkles if you like, then serve! (P.S. You can totally add more Chocolate Hazelnut spread to this frosting have it be even more flavorful, you just might have to adjust the powdered sugar amount. I would have added more but I ran out of samples with my many fails).

I’m definitely a fan of the chocolate-hazelnut + banana combo! What’s your favorite thing to combine with chocolate-hazelnut spread?

Thanks to Nocciolata for the samples! Be sure to check them out.

Fancy Pants Rice Crispy Squares

March 11, 2014March 13, 201410 Comments

I got into a Facebook fight today, and I’m only mildly ashamed.

With whom? Another blogger. She posted something about how the Ban Bossy campaign was ridiculous.

If you haven’t heard of Ban Bossy, it’s a campaign by Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In organization and the Girl Scouts. The whole idea is to stop using the word ‘Bossy’ to describe an assertive girl. An assertive little boy is a ‘leader,’ but an assertive little girl is ‘bossy,’ and this affects the way girls develop in leadership roles. The campaign really aims at developing leadership among girls and young women.

I don’t think this campaign is ridiculous. I actually think it’s a great idea.

That said, sure, the choice of marketing for this campaign is a bit silly (I love Beyonce, but she sort of sucks in the video). The word bossy is just dumb, but I recognize its power. Because of that, I was bothered by this bloggers comment and the subsequent comments to her post. Mostly, they were people saying that being called bossy is a good thing, or examples of when their little boys are bossier than their daughters and how the word doesn’t mean anything. Sure, I get all that. To an adult, being called bossy is fine, but when you’re little things are different. By the time we’re grown ass women, we know we’re more awesome than what some jerk says. But let’s not forget that words have power.

So, Facebook “fight” ensued. I argued that words are important and empowering girls is essential. She argued that the campaigns message was clouded by bad marketing.

The feminist in me took over (p.s. I hate that to so many the word feminist is negative). But then I just let it go, because if there’s one thing I hate more than people putting down people’s efforts to empower women, it’s women hating on other women. Can we get a little female solidarity?

Overall, I get it. Criticizing is easier than making a positive change, and as I emphasized in my comments: everyone is entitled to their own opinion. If you hate the Ban Bossy campaign, that’s fine. But can you give me another way that we can start empowering girls to be leaders?

Regardless of how you feel about the Ban Bossy campaign, I genuinely hope we can all agree that empowering girls to be leaders is a cause worth talking about. If only our Facebook interactions could be dialogues instead of arguments, we’d all be a tiny bit better off.

But in the meantime, before society progresses to that point, when someone tells you what you support is ridiculous, it’s my belief that you should kill them with kindness… the marshmallowy kind. So ladies keep your bossy pants on and make yourself some fancy pants rice crispy squares.

Fancy Pants Rice Crispy Squares

1/4 cup butter
4 cups mini marshmallows
3 cups puffed rice cereal
2 cups puffed millet
2 cups puffed quinoa
3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1-2 tsp canola oil

Grease a 9×13 baking dish and set aside. In a large pot, met together butter and mini marshmallows. Stir until well combined. Add rice cereal, millet, quinoa and coconut. Stir to combine. Press mixture into 9×13 dish and allow to cool for an hour or two (you can put it in the fridge to speed up the process). Once cooled, cut into squares using a large chef knife.

Place chocolate chips in a bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and microwave another 30 seconds. Repeat until chocolate is melted. Stir in 1-2 tsp of oil or enough for the chocolate to be runny. Drizzle chocolate over squares and allow to harden. Once chocolate is firm, serve and enjoy!

Why are they fancy pants? Millet is fancy. Quinoa is like the black diamond of grains. Coconut makes everything a little more exotic. Also because I said so.

What are your thoughts on #BanBossy? Feel free to give your actual opinion (even if you disagree with me, that’s cool!).

Bleeding Hearts: Brie-Chocolate-Raspberry Hand Pies

February 13, 20146 Comments

I started out wanting to do another cutesy Valentine’s Day treat, but then I remembered that Valentine’s Day is a totally made up holiday (as all holidays are, I suppose). And really, some people hate it. I can’t say that’s the case for me, but I know for many, there is heart break and sorrow that goes along with this Hallmark holiday. And you know what? They deserve a treat too.

So this Valentine’s Day, if you want to stick it to the man, make yourself these hand pies.

It’s basically like saying F-you to sprinkles and red roses. So go for it. And just to warn you, I’m saying F-you to the idea of having a full recipe on a blog today. This is sort of a wing-it-non-recipe recipe. Be brave. Try it.

Brie-Chocolate-Raspberry Hand Pies

Pie Crust of your choosing (like the one here)
Brie (a few ounces)
Raspberries (a small container will do)
Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 375F.

Roll out your favorite pie crust a little on the thin side (because the whole point is for the dough to crack so raspberry can seep out). Using heart shaped cookie cutters, cut out heart shapes (or any shape you want really, if you have duckie cookie cutters, you’re awesome and you should use those).

Spread about 1 tsp of brie (not the rind, just the center creamy part) onto the center of a heart. The top with a few chocolate chips (maybe 6? or go crazy fit as many in there as possible), and 1 raspberry cut in half. Obviously, how much you fit in there is going to depend on the size of your cookie cutter. Mine was about 3 inches at the wides part of the heart.

Place another heart on top of the brie/choco/raspberry goodness. Use a fork and press down the edges to bind. It’s ok if the dough cracks and breaks. That’s kind of the point and exactly how you get the bleeding heart look. So if your hand pies fall apart then you’re winning. Put those bad boys in the oven and bake 20-25 minutes or until golden all around. Allow to cool and serve. With one double pie crust recipe (or a box of frozen pie crust from the store), you’ll probably get about a 2-3 dozen hand pies depending on the size of the cookie cutter. This means you’ll need a few ounces of brie and a small pack of raspberries, in case you’re trying to estimate how much you need from my non-recipe.

Oh and if you’re going to tell me brie + chocolate sounds like a gross combo, keep the haterade to yourself.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Dark Chocolate Dreams Flourless Chocolate Cake + A Giveaway!

February 5, 2014February 5, 201447 Comments

I love peanut butter. We all know this. I eat it by the spoonful. It’s a problem I’m working on.

Last year, Allison and I threw a Peanut Butter Throwdown (aka an awesome party where we made crazy peanut butter sandwiches sponsored by Peanut Butter & Co.). So to say I’m a fan of Peanut Butter & Co. is kind of an understatement. A few weeks ago, they sent me and a few bloggers their new 31 Days of Dark Chocolate Dream cookbook, full of recipes featuring Dark Chocolate Dreams.

So after having the cookbook for a few weeks, eating spoonfuls of Dark Chocolate Dreams and mulling over which recipe to make, I finally decided on the flourless chocolate cake.

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and this is the perfect treat for you special peanut-butter-loving someone.

Dark Chocolate Dreams Flourless Chocolate Cake

from 31 Days of Dark Chocolate Dream

Nonstick Cooking Spray
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, for dusting
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups Dark Chocolate Dreams Peanut Butter
1/4 tsp salt 1 (12 oz) bag Semisweet Chocolate Chips
8 large eggs, at room temperature

Pre-heat oven to 350F. Generously spray 10 inch round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray and dust with unsweetened cocoa powder.

Make a double boiled by filling a medium-sized saucepan half way with water and placing a large glass bowl on the top of the pan. Bring the water to ta boil and add the butter, peanut butter, and salt to the bowl. Mix until well incorporated and turn off the heat. Add chocolate chips and stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Remove the glass bowl from the double boiler.

Use an electric mixer to whisk eggs for 3-5 minutes or until the volume doubles. Fold 1/3 of whipped eggs into the chocolate-peanut butter mixture and gradually add the rest of the eggs until mixture is well combined.

Pour mixture into the prepared cake pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges of the cake separate from the pan and the center is springy. Cut and serve immediately with vanilla ice cream.

So in real life, I halved this recipe and put it in a 6 inch cake pan. I still baked it for 20 minutes, and it turned out perfect. I topped it with whipped cream and a cherry, because cherries make everything a little more special. So if you’re looking to downsize this recipe, that’s a great option!

Ok so are you ready to try this now?

Peanut Butter and Co. is being super awesome and giving away a 31 Days of Dark Chocolate Dreams Cookbook and a 28oz Jar of Dark Chocolate Dreams to a Foodologie reader!

To enter, head over to Facebook and enter the giveaway on my Facebook page click the Giveaway tab at the top. The giveaway is open to US Residents and will end on February 14th at midnight!

You can enter by:

Liking my page on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter
Tweeting about the giveaway
Leaving a comment on this blog post
Liking Peanut Butter & Co on Facebook

You know you want some free peanut butter, especially to make this cake, because it’s delicious. Head over to Facebook now and enter. You’ve got nothing to lose 🙂

Foodologie

A Blog about Balancing Health with a Constant Desire to Eat Cake

Tag: Chocolate

Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

Flourless Peanut Butter Brownies

Flourless Peanut Butter Brownies

How was your weekend? Do you love healthy desserts or prefer to stick to regular ones in moderation?

Chocolate Peanut Butter Goji Berry Pie

Chocolate Peanut Butter Goji Berry Pie

Peanut Butter & Co. is giving one Foodologie reader a free Peanut Butter & Co. Prize Pack!

Chocolate Dipped Dates with Pistachios and Sea Salt

Dates Dipped in Chocolate with Pistachios and Sea Salt

The Best Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Hazelnut Buttercream Frosting

Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Hazelnut Buttercream Frosting

Fancy Pants Rice Crispy Squares

Fancy Pants Rice Crispy Squares

Bleeding Hearts: Brie-Chocolate-Raspberry Hand Pies

Brie-Chocolate-Raspberry Hand Pies

Dark Chocolate Dreams Flourless Chocolate Cake + A Giveaway!

Dark Chocolate Dreams Flourless Chocolate Cake