Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

The first time I made these was right before my daughter's fifth birthday. She has a summer birthday, so zucchini was abundant. After her third muffin she said, "MOM! Can I have these for my birthday cupcakes?" 

Muffins generally have enough sugar and oil/butter to make them delicious, though not super healthy. Substituting some wheat flour for white flour, decreasing the sugar a bit, and adding zucchini and applesauce keeps them plenty delicious, but tips the scales back a bit towards the healthy side. 
These muffins freeze well. And as mini muffins they make a great lunch box treat.  

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Adapted from In Erika’s Kitchen

3 eggs
¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup dark cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 cups zucchini, grated
⅓ cup applesauce 
2 cups white wheat flour
1 cup white flour (all purpose, unbleached)
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, oil, cocoa powder and vanilla.

Mix in the zucchini and applesauce.

In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet. Gently mix with a rubber spatula, being careful not to mix.

Fold in the chocolate chips.

Fill muffin cups about ¾ full.

Bake about 18 minutes in preheated 350 degree oven until the muffins spring back when touched or a toothpick comes out clean (about 10 minutes for mini muffins).

Remove the muffins from the pan and cool on a wire rack.  

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Chocolate (Whole Wheat) Pancakes

Right smack at the end of a lovely two week winter vacation, the winter of all winters hit Indianapolis.  Sunday was really a lovely day, watching 12 inches of snow fall.  We headed out to shovel the driveway right before dark and our kind neighbor stopped over with his snowblower to help us out.  Monday and Tuesday we got the polar vortex in all its glory: below zero temperatures with wind chill down to 30 below.  Schools were closed all week.  I did venture out to work and the grocery store on Thursday, but the roads were still terrible. 

The kids and I had plenty of indoor time, and I decided to resurrect this blog project.  This seemed like a cheerful post to lead off, as it is still quite gloomy out.  I first made these chocolate pancakes for Valentine's Day several years ago, and it remains a favorite breakfast treat of the girls.  I prefer the addition of chocolate chips to the pancake batter.  Go big or go home, right? 

We've tried a variety of toppings.  Whipped cream and strawberries/raspberries/blueberries...maybe a drizzle of chocolate sauce or caramel.  My new favorite topping is coconut cream.  I'll have to post that soon as it is so easy and delicious. 

The recipe calls for a small amount of coffee, which enriches the chocolate flavor.  But water can easily be substituted. 
 
Whole Wheat Chocolate Pancakes
From Alida's Kitchen

1 cup white wheat flour (or wheat pastry flour or white flour)

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

2 TB raw sugar (or granulated sugar)

½ tsp salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 cup plus 2 TB buttermilk

2 TB brewed coffee (or water)

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 TB unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Cooking spray

Fruit and whipped cream/coconut cream for topping

In a large bowl, sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk, coffee, vanilla and butter.

Add buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and gently fold until blended (there may be some lumps).  

Gently fold in the chocolate chips.

Let mixture sit for 5-10 minutes.

Preheat non-stick skillet over medium and then spray with cooking spray.  Pour batter in skillet by the 1/4 cup-ful and cook until bubbles appear (about 3 minutes).  

Flip and cook on the other side until done (about 2-3 minutes).  

Repeat with remaining batter.  

Serve with desired toppings and enjoy!

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Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is my go-to cookie, the one I'd rather make over any other.  I've had this recipe for years, and can't remember where it originally came from.  I do remember the first time I had cookies baked on a pizza stone...my cookie life was never the same again.  Baking cookies on a pizza stone (without over baking them!) gives them a texture like you wouldn't believe.

These cookies are the ultimate dark chocolate cookie.  I use a good quality baking cocoa from Penzeys Spice and plenty of Ghiradelli bittersweet chocolate chips.

The dough often doesn't make it this far, but sometimes I will manage to freeze some of the cookie dough once it is shaped into balls.  The dough freezes well and it's great to have some ready to be thrown straight in the oven in a cookie emergency.  The cookies themselves also freeze well, although again, they rarely stick around that long.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
⅔ cup baking cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 cup softened butter
¾ cup sugar
⅔ cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
Cut some parchment paper to fit your pizza stone and place the parchment paper on a wooden cutting board.

Preheat oven (and pizza stone) to 350 degrees.

Mix flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt and set aside.

Beat butter, sugars, and vanilla in another bowl until creamy (5-6 minutes).

Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Gradually beat flour mixture into the butter mixture.

Stir in chocolate chips.  

Drop cookie dough on parchment paper.

Slide parchment paper from the cutting board onto the pizza stone that has preheated in the oven.  

Bake cookies for 8 ½ to 10 minutes, until centers are set.

When the cookies are done baking, slide the parchment paper from the pizza stone back to the cutting board and let the cookies rest for a couple of minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

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Peanut Butter Balls

Best snack ever.

Thanks, once again, to Alida's Kitchen.

The girls adore them (although someone under the age of 3 has a tendency to pick out the chocolate and discard the rest). 

I love them.

They can be vegan (swap out the 1 TB honey for another TB of pure maple syrup).

They take a lot of peanut butter, but are totally worth it.

Peanut Butter Balls
From Alida's Kitchen

1 cup natural creamy peanut butter
1 TB honey
1 TB pure maple syrup
1 cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons wheat germ
2 tablespoons sweetened flaked coconut
1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

 Heat peanut butter, honey, syrup in the microwave until easily mixed, about 15 seconds.  Stir until blended.

In a separate bowl, mix oats, wheat germ and coconut.

Add peanut butter mixture to oat mixture and stir until incorporated.

Add in chocolate chips.

Using a cookie scoop, create 1" balls.

Refrigerate.

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S'mores Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love cookies, and chocolate chip cookies are the clear favorite. I first noticed this 'stuffed cookie' trend last fall and bookmarked a few recipes. But I just got around to trying my first stuffed cookie this week. It was a tough decision...should I go with Oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookies or s'mores stuffed?

I went with the s'mores stuffed. Half way through the process I thought there was no way this would work. I was convinced the cookies would be a mess. But happily I was completely wrong. The cookie held together very well, while baking and while being eaten. The s'more melted down just enough during baking. The marshmallow in the middle was a delicious gooey bite, and the graham crackers offered a nice little crunch.

I made a few changes to the original recipe. I wanted a smaller cookie (though these were still plenty big) so I broke the graham crackers into quarters, then broke each quarter in half. And then I used chocolate chips in the s'mores rather than Hershey bar pieces since I am opposed to all things milk chocolate.

Overall they are fun to make and a unique cookie. Don't wait to give these a try!

S'mores Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies
From Apron Appeal, originally from Picky Palate

1 cup butter, softened (2 sticks)
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 TB vanilla
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 3/4 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
Graham crackers, broken into 1/8
1/4 cup (approximately) bittersweet chocolate chips
9 large marshmallows, cut in half

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, 5-6 minutes.

Add eggs and vanilla and beat until well combined.

Stir together flour, salt and baking soda in a separate bowl.

With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until the flour is incorporated.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Place cookie dough in the refrigerator while you assemble the s'mores stacks.

To make the s'mores stack: graham cracker square, half marshmallow, three chocolate chips, another graham cracker square.

To assemble the stuffed cookies: *Note: This can be a messy step, so flour your hands slightly with each cookie you assemble.* Flatten one scoop of cookie dough and place on parchment lined cookie sheet. Place a s'mores stack on top (the edges of your flattened cookie dough should extend past the s'mores stack). Flatten another scoop of cookie dough (a little larger than the first) and place on top of the s'mores stack (excess cookie dough should hand off the s'mores stack). Pinch the edges of the flattened cookie dough together to surround the s'mores stack with cookie dough.

Once the baking sheet has 6 large cookie dough balls, bake for 14-16 minutes. The edges of the cookie should just be golden.

Cool for 10 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.

Yield: 17 cookies

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Raspberry Chocolate Cupcakes

If you only ever make one cupcake recipe, make these.

I've made the raspberry/chocolate combination before, and I absolutely love it. This time I tried a new cupcake recipe, and I loved the flavor and texture of these chocolate cupcakes. I used ganache for the cupcake filling, the raspberry filling and the frosting. It takes a lot of chocolate, but the end result is well worth it.

If you prefer a little less chocolate, Annie's Eats has another great recipe for raspberry buttercream frosting. I've tried this one before, and it's very good, and the pink frosting is very pretty with the chocolate cupcake.

Either way you do it, you can't go wrong!

Raspberry Chocolate Cupcakes
From Annie's Eats

Yield: 36-40 cupcakes

The cupcakes
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips (or 3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped)
1½ cups hot brewed coffee (or hot water)
3 cups sugar
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
¾ tsp baking powder
1¼ tsp salt
3 large eggs
¾ cup vegetable oil
1½ cups buttermilk
¾ tsp vanilla extract

Place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl and add the hot coffee. Let it stand for 2 minutes, then whisk until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. (If the chocolate is not completely melted, pop the mixture in the microwave for 15 seconds, then whisk again. Repeat as needed).

In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

In another bowl, beat the eggs in medium-high until slightly thickened and pale yellow.

Add the oil, buttermilk, vanilla and chocolate, mixing well after each addition.

Add the dry ingredients and mix on medium-low just until incorporated.

Fill cupcake liners about 3/4 full.

Bake in a preheated, 350 degree oven for 17-19 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then cool completely on a wire rack.

The ganache filling and frosting:
5 cups bittersweet chocolate chips (or 30 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped)
1 1/2 cups seedless raspberry jam
2 cups heavy cream

Place chocolate chips and jam in a large glass bowl.

Heat the cream in a small saucepan until very hot, but not boiling.

Pour hot cream over the chocolate and jam. Let it sit for 4 minutes.

Whisk the chocolate mixture until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. (If the chocolate is not completely melted, pop the mixture in the microwave for 15 seconds, then whisk again. Repeat as needed).

Set the mixture aside while you prepare the cupcakes for filling.

Cut a small cone in the top of each cupcake. Remove the cone, cut off the pointy end and discard, but keep the cap. I like to remove a good chunk of the cupcake so there is plenty of room for the filling.

Fill each hole with ganache. You can use a spoon to drop it in, but I like to fill up my pastry bag and use that to squirt the ganache into each cupcake crater.

Replace the cap of each cupcake.

Pipe ganache into clean, dry raspberries. Refrigerate the chocolate filled raspberries until the cupcakes are frosted.

Frost the cupcakes with the remaining ganache.

Top the cupcakes with chocolate filled raspberries before the frosting sets.

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Halloween Cupcakes

Halloween is just around the corner! I've been busy repairing Halloween costumes and found time to sew a good sized trick-or-treat bag for Kitty. The girls are excited for all the festivities this weekend.

Earlier this month, my good friend's twins turned five. They had a Halloween birthday party (it was so fun!) and I talked my friend into letting me make some Halloween cupcakes. I had so much fun finding just the right recipe, adjusting quantities of filling and frosting, and then actually making them. I was very pleased with the orange cupcakes. I thought the orange flavor of the cream cheese frosting combined with the dark chocolate cupcakes and filling was spectacular. The chocolate frosted cupcakes were good too. But I am my father's daughter (Happy Birthday, Dad!), and there's nothing like a good orange-chocolate combination.

The cupcake recipe below should give you about 18 cupcakes. The frosting recipes will frost about 10 cupcakes each.


Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
Adapted from Annie's Eats

Yield: 18 cupcakes

1/4 cup plus 2 TB unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 cup plus 2 TB hot water
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp coarse salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup plus 2 TB granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.

In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and hot water until smooth. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the butter and the sugar. Heat on medium, stirring occasionally, until the butter is melted.

Move the mixture an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium-low speed, 4-5 minutes, until the mixture is cooled.

Mix in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Mix in the vanilla and then the cocoa mixture and beat until incorporated.

With the mixer on low speed add in the dry ingredients in two batches, alternating with the sour cream, beating just until combined.

Fill cupcake pans (greased or with cupcake liners), filling each cup about ¾ of the way full.

Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, rotating the pans halfway through baking.

Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Ganache filling

2/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips (or 4 oz bittersweet chocolate)
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 TB unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces, at room temperature

Place the chocolate in a medium bowl.

Heat the cream in a small saucepan just until boiling, then pour over the chocolate.

Let stand about 3 minutes.

Gently stir the chocolate and cream together. When the ganache has become smooth, whisk in the butter 1 piece at a time until incorporated.

Transfer the bowl to the freezer or refrigerator to chill and thicken the ganache. Whisk every 5-10 minutes until it is slightly thickened and not runny.

To fill the cupcakes, cut a cone out of the center of each cupcake with a small paring knife. I like plenty of filling in my cupcakes, so I also scrape a few more crumbs out from the middle of the cupcake so I have a good sized hole. But don't scrape all the way to the bottom!

Cut off the pointed end of the cone and discard so you are left with a cap of cake to cover the filling. Drop a spoonful of ganache into the center of each cupcake and recover the hole with the cap.


Sour Cream Chocolate Frosting
Adapted from Annie's Eats

5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
3 TB unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 TB unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup sour cream

Melt the chocolate in the microwave: heat at 30 second intervals, stirring well between intervals.

Beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed (stand mixer with paddle attachment) until pale and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.

Gradually mix in the confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Beat in the melted and cooled chocolate and then the sour cream.

Continue beating until the mixture is smooth and well blended. Add additional confectioner's sugar if the frosting is not stiff enough.

Frost cupcakes that have already been filled with ganache.


Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
From Leita's Culinaria

4 oz. cold cream cheese, cut into chunks
2 TB unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 tsp pure orange extract
1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Beat the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and creamy, 3-4 minutes.

Beat in the orange extract.

On low speed beat in the confectioners’ sugar in two additions, beating until smooth. Add additional confectioner's sugar if the frosting is not stiff enough.

Frost cupcakes that have already been filled with ganache and enjoy!

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